Almost anything we do in the modern world uses technology in one way or another. As soon as we get out of bed we start our day with technology, we brew our coffee with complex machines that might be timed and we certainly get glued to our social media soon after waking up. So, what are the ways technology has changed us?

Technology has made us give up our privacy

Perhaps one of the most fundamental changes brought about by technology is the loss of privacy. Most people don’t really realise it but we are constantly leaving a digital mark, which could technically be used against us. Everything from shopping online to sending messages can jeopardise our privacy. There’s even talk that your smart home gadgets could be spying on you! Therefore, you are giving up on your privacy to some extent simply by using technology.

Of course, there are ways to keep your data secure but it’s not always 100% certain things can’t be hacked. It’s rather hard to predict what tools criminals could come up with given that technology can be used in many good and bad ways.

Technology has made us dependent on it

We are dependent on modern technology. Just recently British Airways was grounded to a halt because technology failed – it’s not an overestimation to say that we would be facing a disaster if our technologies failed us.

You don’t even have to imagine it on a global level. Our homes are increasingly ‘smart’ and so you’d be in trouble if some of it would start failing. You might not be able to turn on the lights, control the heating or get into your car! We’ve now been conditioned to live with technology.

Technology has given us new products and services

It’s not all necessarily doom and gloom. Technology has helped create a lot of new products and services for us to enjoy. Of course, one can argue whether these gadgets and gizmos are good for us but we nonetheless, have them.
Business has definitely been the winner of this revolution. There are more business opportunities out there because technology provides endless opportunities in terms of product and service development. Of course, business has also benefitted by getting a bigger reach on those potential customers.

Technology has made it easier to interact

Following the above point, technology has made it easier for all of us to interact. We’re not tied by our geographical closeness any longer but can reach out to anyone in the world. We’re not even talking about snail mail but instant communication with people around the world. Also digital marketing is topmost trend nowadays. Today search engine optimization greatly depends on quality of inbound links to increase your serp rank. There are many SEO tools that can help SEOs, backlink watch tool helps you to monitor everything about your inbound links.

Interestingly, interaction is often based on voice communication in the modern world. We have swapped the ability to hold phone conversations with people to sending them instant messages either through text messaging platforms such as Whatsapp or on social media.

Technology has changed how we consume information and entertainment

There has also been a shift in how we consume information and entertainment. We used to read a lot of newspapers to find out the latest happenings but nowadays, we simply follow social media or different news platforms. We don’t hear about events after they have happened but instead, we often consume the big stories while they are taking place.

Furthermore, our entertainment consumption has changed. In the old days, we sat in front of the TV at a specific time of day to watch our favourite shows. But now, with streaming services such as Netflix, we choose when and where we entertain ourselves. We’re not tied to consuming information and entertainment in the way the provider wants but rather choose our own ways to consume them.

Technology has changed the way we shop

Our shopping has also been transformed for good. We don’t walk to shops any longer to buy things, but rather we find them online. The positive change of this has of course been the fact that we have more options available to us and we can save money easily with our shopping. We often don’t go directly to the retailer but instead, use portals to find offers and deals that guarantee we get the best deals. In a sense, technology has made us savvier shoppers.

Technology has changed the way we learn and teach

As mentioned, we tend to find information differently and this has definitely trickled down to how we teach and learn. Schools today often use technology as part of the learning experience – students are taught to find information in different ways. We also teach more about the technology itself with many schools starting to teach coding for even the youngest of students. One of the big future trends is likely to be a virtual reality in the classroom – children will be able to explore and study things in a safer environment and without it costing a fortune for the schools. For example, with virtual reality, you can explore the Mount Everest without having to actually climb it.

So, technology has definitely made our lives a bit different. Perhaps the bigger debate among many is whether these sorts of changes have been for the good or for the worse