Has Technology Improved Human Life, Article Writing Example

Technological advancements sometimes do have potential negative consequences such as advanced military weapons and less privacy due to the internet but the overall impact of technology has been a significant improvement in average global life standards. Internet has raised the quality of life in developing nations because it has been a primary force behind globalization and has also promoted access to education and information. Not only U.S. elite universities such as Harvard and MIT provide free access to some of the college-level courses but even India’s Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) offers access to online courses (Lakshman).

Similarly, technology has also increased cross-cultural interaction. Before the invention of airplanes, it used to take months and even years to go from one part of the world to another and most people would never know about the cultures, traditions, and progress taking outside their national boundaries. The invention of advanced transportation technologies such as cars and airplanes made it possible to go anywhere and has increased interaction among cultures. Technology has also improved life standards because it has helped businesses expand their markets and become much more efficient in operations. Some organizations have succeeded in reducing the number of suppliers in their supply chain network by as much as 90 percent (Capon & Senn, 2010). The efficiency results in lower prices and ensures that products are services are affordable by most consumers.

Even though technology improves our life standards, it is not welcomed by everyone especially those loyal to traditions and old ways of living. Some people fear they will lose their cultural identity because technology results in assimilation of cultures which is true to some extent. We do see the influence of American popular culture in almost every country and it would not have been possible without technological advancements.

References

Capon, Noel and Christoph Senn. “Global Customer Management Programs: How To Make Them Really Work.” California Management Review Winter 2010: 32-55.

Lakshman, Nandini. Online Education Takes Off in India. 22 February 2008. 15 August 2012 <http://www.businessweek.com/stories/2008-02-22/online-education-takes-off-in-indiabusinessweek-business-news-stock-market-and-financial-advice>.