Essay Sample about Dependence on Technology

Technology was created by human mind to serve the need of human kind. The prompt states that people’s reliance on technology is increasing day by day and this might affect their ability to think for themselves. I moderately agree with this and believe that people’s increasing dependency on technology is a concerning issue but not so much that it can be detrimental to our decision-making capabilities for the following three reasons.

Technology has surpassed human mind but is not self-sufficient. The scientist that designed the quantum computer cannot comprehend its full capabilities and no human mind can dare to solve the problems that a supercomputer can computer in the matter of seconds. Yet, a supercomputer no matter how great its computing power cannot operate on its own. It cannot turn itself on or feed itself the problems to solve, it needs a human to run it. So, though it seems that we are dependent on technology, it is likely so because technologies were built to make our lives easier. This dependency will increase even more for future generations as new innovations will be dependent on existing technology and it will get increasingly harder to live without technology in a society that evolves with its technology. But ultimately, it will be humans who design and create technologies for others convenience.

Technology can have huge influence on people’s ideas and belief. Social media has become an integral part of our lives. People rely on it for their news to keeping up with latest fashion trends. However, social can trap people in a bubble of misinformation. Suppose a naïve person is fascinated by the idea of flat-earth, something they heard perchance. They look it up and follow a few posts and watch a few videos on it and then put that thought aside. That should be the end of it but unfortunately, social media shapes itself to match their interest and search and watch history. The next day they will be bombarded with flat-earth conspiracy posts all over their news feed. And in many countries where it is cheaper to use a social media like Facebook and TikTok, that cross check theories through a google search, the person will be surrounded by misinformation that conforms their delusional ideas. And by feeding them false information, it will affect their ability to make informed decision.

In conclusion, people’s dependency on technology is concerning but technology alone cannot have a detrimental effect on people’s ability to think for themselves. Technology does not act on its own and the people behind it, that are making the decisions are the ones with the capability to influence others. And instead of people having an unhealthy dependency on technology it can instead be used for what it was intended for, to assist humans in having a more convenient life. So, instead of brainwashing people with propagandas and affecting their ability to think rationally, social media can be  used for dissemination of unbiased information so the people can make a more informed decision.