The Importance of Modern Technology

One of the biggest benefits of modern technology is that human longevity and health have improved because of its application. As understanding of the body and its functions improves, and as new tools to help heal it (lasers, sonograms, enhanced medication, and nonintrusive surgical tools, just to name a few) are created, life lasts longer. Not only does life extend, but people can live more comfortably, and recover from wounds and diseases that even a half a century ago would have been fatal. In many cases these people live full, productive lives.

Modern technology has revolutionized how people communicate. Since World War II, telecommunications and mass media have been growing by leaps and bounds. Radio, telephone, satellite communication, cellular technology, wireless Internet ... in the modern day two people can chat via a computer when they're on opposite sides of the planet. Communication has shrunk the world, bringing people from all cultures and backgrounds into contact with each other.

Modern technology allows resources to be expanded and for previously unused ones to be tapped into. If electricity is the lifeblood of a modern society, for instance, modern technology allows it to be harnessed in new ways. Coal-fired plants and gas-driven turbines are old, but serviceable. Wind and tidal generators use modern technology to harness forces on a scale that our ancestors would have thought impossible. Modern technology has also provided ways to grow more food, transport more people and make more products for a growing society.

What modern technology really represents is an increase in knowledge and how people can use it. Modern technology is usually the direct result of discovery and experimentation. Technology is defined as the scientific method being used to achieve a commercial or industrial goal. So to create technology, a bigger base of knowledge and understanding must be created from which to draw on. As improvements are made to technology, so too are improvements made to the pool of knowledge.

Technology is also the application of knowledge, science and tools in ways that accomplish tasks more effectively. A simple look at how technology has become interwoven into modern life can show its importance. Technology allows many businesses to function properly, allows many people to work from home and helps companies around the world communicate. Modern technology builds prosthetic limbs, creates inventive surgeries and grows more food for a rapidly growing population. It creates more efficient vehicles and allows humanity to expand its knowledge even further.