Masters or Slaves of Technology

we have really become slaves of modern technology. Our earth is in dire need of felicity and complacency.

Masters or Slaves of TechnologyNo doubt, technological progression has metamorphosed the lifestyle of layman tremendously. It has unlocked the better avenues for transforming the propositions into reality. One can gauge the remarkableness of technology in this ultramodern world by peeping into contemporary innovations like augmented reality, biometrics, image recognition system, speech recognition services, and automated decision management system.

In contrast, as there are two sides to every coin the same as technology has also a multitude of snags and pitfalls. These negative ramifications of technology have altered the way we ponder, perceive and converse with each other.

Owing to the availability of smartphones and other wireless gadgets, there are adverse repercussions on interpersonal communication. Researchers and pundits have indicated that mobile technology diminishes social interactivity, rapport, and face to face communication. Furthermore, over-reliance on mobile technology at the workplace has hamstrung the efficacious business communication which could affect the long term productivity of any corporation or enterprise. Besides this, it has been authenticated that 93 percent of communication is nonverbal and sans these cues and gestures, people cannot interpret the intended message of each other.

Moreover, the high-tech world of technology controls and dominates our life. The round-the-clock online connection and facility to swiftly chat with each and everyone at any time initiate prolonged distress in our lives. When we regularly catch sight of other posts with relevance to their lives, it can leave us feeling despondent, covetous or down in the dumps.

On the other hand, cyberspace giants are accessing a massive proportion of personalized and confidential data. These herculean giants keep an eye on our every single move and manipulate those surreptitious specifics to shape our behavior in this digital age. In the same way, a computer nowadays can recognize our subtle facial micro-expressions and be able to unfold the variation between a genuine smile and a fake one.

Consequently, an upsurge in automation will shatter the creative and innovative approach of human beings. Scores of acclaimed researchers anticipate that artificial intelligence can steal a march on humans in every plausible exercise and job within a decade.

Co-founder and CEO of Tesla Elon Musk has warned himself apropos dangers of artificial intelligence in this digitized world. He has referred artificial intelligence as more perilous than North Korean nuclear warheads and concerned that these voguish inventions could forestall our aptness to oversee them in a secure way. Over and above, world pre-eminent academic and artificial intelligence researcher Max Tegmark speaking at TedTalks apprised that newfangled robots have the potential to enslave and hegemonize our minds easily.

It is very heart-rending to proclaim that we have become so infatuated with modern gadgets that average person scroll their phone every six minutes, which means 150 times a day. In accordance with the Gallup Panel Survey conducted among nearly 16,000 U.S adults, 41% of people acknowledged to check out their phone a few times an hour. Additionally,   one  has become  so preoccupied with   Wi-Fi    that unavailability of it is like the culmination of the entire world. In the same way, juveniles have become so glued to streaming services like Netflix and social networking sites like Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Skype.

Gone are the days when teenagers used to put down their constructive musings in letters, had a healthy group discussions and deliberations on hot topics. As a matter of fact, children who spend prolonged hours eyeballing on screens usually make a fuss about less concentration on their academic studies and miss out their requisite sleep.

Immoderate employment of technology can cause numerous psychological disorders such as narcissism, depression, egomania, and dysthymia. Moreover, these digitalized gizmos lead to digital eye strain which includes blurred or hazy vision, dry eyes, neuralgia, and neck aching. In accordance with National Sleep Foundation, 90 percent of folk in the United States commented that they operate tech devices in the hour prior to the bed, which can be physiologically and psychologically stimulating enough to have an impact on sleep. In like manner, a 2018 study on pubescent boys age 15 and 16 floated an association between periodic employment of digital media and the occurrence of symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

In addition, modernistic technology has put an end to indispensable factors like critical thinking, accurate analysis, and creative approach. We have been making use of emoji as a substitute for words that can inhibit our writing skills. Besides this, students do not fabricate their brainstormed viewpoints for projects and assignments comparatively they pin their hopes on the internet database. As a result, the data over the internet stem piracy, plagiarism, and copyright infringement. The whopping number of researchers are heavily relying on pirated work for their dissertations and theses. This cuts down the quality of research work and investigation for the mitigation of global concerns.

Lastly, the most pathetic thing concerning modern enslavement is that slaves do not become conscious about it. They do not figure out the downside of technology and automation. In contrast, they should be inquisitive about how the older generations obtained contentment, jubilation, and euphoria in the absence of technology. However, technology wizards are endeavoring hard to construct the perception via their campaigns that life is purposeless and fruitless without technology. But, it is high time to be impervious to their agendas that life is technology and technology is life.

To conclude, we have really become slaves of modern technology. Our earth is in dire need of felicity and complacency. Technology has not pledged to provide such things in this particular scenario. It is the need of the hour to contemplate about the liability of these gadgets. So, we should be hopeful that our subsequent activities are not foiled by these slayer widgets.

By Junaid Ahmed Sohoo

The writer is environmental management student/ researcher and dynamic author.