Human beings use of technology cannot be understated; they use it in their daily lives, and there is a growing demand for more technology. Technology is to apply scientific knowledge to the practical day to day activities, mostly in industries. Therefore, it can be divided into five categories namely; tangible, intangible, high, intermediate and low (Mitcham). Technology can be used to travel, farm, communicate, manufacture, learn, do business and as many other more uses. Having a wide range of uses it has a lot of impacts to the society both positive and negative.

Impacts of technology on the society

Positive impacts

In the engineering world, there has been an increase in mechanization. Creation of competition among companies is created since companies use better and efficient machines. Production of goods is now faster because with advanced machines firms have an easy task in the product production stage. Work to the employees is reduced, and their energy is channeled to other company-related projects. Small companies produce enough and quality products

Technology has also led to the improvement of education and the learning process. As a result of the increase in machines, there is the need for education on how to operate them. Workers who work with little or no knowledge of how to operate the machines put their lives in danger. Employees of a firm can be taught using videos since visual ways of teaching are highly regarded, and this has been made possible with technology. The internet is also a source of information to a lot of people hence leading to a production of better hardware like the laptops, pads and smart phones. Therefore, consumers can get information about their products using these gadgets enabling in better awareness.

Better transportation and communication facilities. Technology has led to the growth of the transport sector since there has been the construction of better road networks, expanding of the air transport industry. In the communications sector, the world has been reduced to a global (Harrington).

Negative impacts  

h a majority of the wastes are non-degradable. Gases emitted from certain industries have resulted in changes of the climate leading to global warming.

There has been a reduced level of resources as a result of technology mostly the human resource. Mechanization in industries as resulted to the layoff of many employees; machines replace human beings because they are faster and more efficient. Companies that produce phones, computers, cars and machines deplete the earth while getting materials to produce their products. Materials such as steel, iron, aluminium are extracted from the earth and once extracted they are never returned. Earth loses a lot of its natural resources from such practices (Khosrowpour).

Reference

Harrington, Jan L. Technology and society. Burlington: Jones and Bartlett Publishers, 2011.

Khosrowpour, Mehdi. Emerging Trends and Challenges in Information Technology Management: 2006 Information Resources Management Association International Conference, Washington, DC, USA, May 21-24, 2006, Volume 1. Washington: Idea Group Inc (IGI), 2006.

Mitcham, Carl. Thinking through technology: the path between engineering and philosophy.