Computer Technology: Boon Or Bane

Here is a look at a few technologies that we are so used to in our day to day life. Each technology has evolved and made so much of inroads into how we live.
This is a series of articles on each technology and how it is a convenience and a nuisance.

“I think there is a world market for maybe five computers."
 Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943

From a completely wrong prediction that did not see any value for this invention to a prediction by Intel co-founder Gordon Moore popularly known as Moore's Law, states

“The number of transistors on a chip will double about every two years.”

This invention today has become the core of any business system. Today to do any business without computers is next to impossible. Everything that you see around you is made easy with this wonderful invention that just gets better and better every six months or even less. Every industry now is able to produce faster and much accurately without much human intervention there by reducing many a laborious task in manufacturing a product. To list down the various advantages of this invention would in itself require the use of a computer.

To see the other side of this wonderful invention, we can look at how our lives are controlledby this device. A few years back making simple basic mathematical calculation did not require a device as we were pretty ‘turned on’ to do those calculations in our mind. Now when we need to do some simple basic calculation we resort to an excel sheet or thecalculator program on our computers. Children, 20 years ago would look for opportunity to get out of the house and run around playing and indulging in physical activity. Today with the computers, children are more glued to the information readily available and playing mundane and often bloody games. The children now are so adept at using these devices it is very difficult for the parents to keep a check on them as at times they are better than their parents at handling these devices. 20 years ago to see a child with spectacles was a rarity, today thanks to this great invention; this is a very common site, with most of the children glued to the computer or the television most of the time.

The effort of writing today is completely lost to the ease of a keyboard. Now everythingthat we need to document including this article is on a word editor. What we have lost to this technology in this deal is the art of writing. The personal touch of writing a letter is a thing of the past. Emails have taken over to deliver our thought across the seven seas with the blink of the eye.

Computers have led to automation in most of the industries which could probably do the work of a hundred men single handedly and error free. Although from the industry perspective it does look like a shining cherry, it has led to unemployment which in turn leads to poverty which in turn leads to crime.

Communication was the key on which a family would be bonded, now with the computer being a part of the family most of the communication that the families use to indulge is reduced to a few words or sentences. Most of them are so glued to their work or recreational activity that they have no time to communicate with each other.

One major health hazard that this device has brought about along with all the positive side is the risk of a back ache due to bad posture in using the computer. Then there is the dreaded ‘Computer Mouse Fatigue’ which causes unbearable pain in the arms and is a slow poison in health deterioration.

All this put together, we need to accept the fact that nature has its way with technology and nothing in the extreme can be beneficial. We need to use our resources diligently, if not, the repercussions could be fatal in the long run.
Now let me switch off my computer before it cross the line and cross over to the extreme side.