In the last decade the explosive surge of technology has changed everything in our world. With the advent of the internet, laptops, emails, smartphones, texting, Facebook, Twitter, Google, Podcasts… and so many other applications, our world has become fully dependent on the newest technology. Victor Hugo said, “Nothing is as powerful as an idea whose time has come”. In other words, there is nothing as powerful that comes at the right time.
Human beings are the only life form on earth that have the capacity to change the course of life. Humans are not controlled by other instincts or genetic codes. Indeed, a man can alter the next five years of life from the way he lived the previous five years. With the use of technology, these five years have been reduced depending on the circumstances to just days. Probably one of the greatest blessings that the technology has brought to us is the ability to communicate. At any given time and often at no extra charge, a grandparent can wish a grandchild a happy birthday in a “live” conversation even though they are both living in opposite continents. For this reason alone, all these modern developments have been welcomed blessings. Of course the fact that millions of businesses greatly enjoy increase in productivity in the work place is yet another advantage.
The advancement of science due to computer technology have brought us (to name but two discoveries) the world of robotics where a paralyzed disabled patient can now experience assistance with a bionic walk. In biotechnology, a conductive wire made of a string of tiny particles of silver, a thousand times thinner than a human hair can do wonders. Obviously volumes of articles could be written to publish all the latest discoveries that the internet brought to our world.
As in every good, there is always a price to pay. And so people who have used the internet for inappropriate usage, or by becoming addicted in some areas or even losing touch with reality by sending a virtual bouquet of flowers on Mother’s Day claiming to be too busy to stop by. The internet is here to stay however. It will grow bigger, better, stronger and spread even to the most far flung areas of the world. That is an indisputable fact. The question is will the good outweigh the bad? I am confident that our human race is made up largely of giving caring people and therefore the internet can only be a blessing and a friend.
