Technology: A Two-Edged Sword That Requires Handling with Sense

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Back in those days, we remember how we used to write letters, take them to the post office, and wait for a day or two before they were delivered, depending on the location. Then, we would also wait patiently for a response, which might take another full day or two. I often ask myself, what if the situation had needed urgent attention? What would have happened in the process of passing the information?

Now compare that era with this present one, where you can comfortably stay in your room, pass any information you want, and get a response within seconds or minutes, as the case may be. If I ask what the difference between the two eras is, your answer will definitely be the introduction of technology. So, is technology making life easier or more complicated? Your answer is as good as what’s in my mind, but hold on, let’s continue.

In the aspect of research, back then, one had to visit the library regularly, checking through different books just to find materials to back up research work. But today, with your phone—a mini library—you can stay anywhere, get information from different scholars, and complete your research without even stepping into a library. The difference is technology.

In the past, the only way to sell goods and services was by meeting physically to negotiate. But today, one can stay anywhere in the world, transact business, receive payment, and deliver goods or services without meeting in person. Life made easy.

In the area of telecommunication, we can recall that even when your phone had an internet connection, pages would take a long time to load before opening. But with the introduction of 3G, 4G, and 5G networks, loading time has reduced drastically, provided you have good network coverage. That is technology at work.

Nowadays, people can easily make use of green energy by using the sun to generate and store power for electricity, instead of buying kerosene for lanterns or waiting for NEPA or PHED, depending on what you call them. Technology again at work.

However, in all these, we should not forget that everything that has a good side also has a bad side. Even though these developments make life easier, they also come with a cost. For example, using your phone to get information from the internet makes things faster, but the rate at which we buy data these days is alarming.

We should also remember that most of these technologies use strong electronic signals, which may have effects on our health. In the aspect of crime, technology helps to control it, but it also aids crime. To some extent, it has made many people lazy, especially teenagers and youths, and in some cases, has introduced them to fraudulent activities.

Therefore, technology is good and truly makes life easier, but it comes with its own cost and negative sides. To avoid making it complicated, we must learn to use it wisely so that it benefits both us and others.