The Help and Harm of Technology on Society

Throughout history there have been countless examples in which technology has played a key role in both the positive and negative effects on society. I do not believe we are able to simply choose whether technology benefits or harms society because there are countless examples in for both cases that happen every day. Technology is a very broad term and has had both a positive and negative impact on harassment, politics, and even security to name a few of its unlimited applications.

With regard to harassment, it is easy to conclude that the use of social media and other technological outlets have had a negative impact on harassment. Yes, it has made it much easier for people to communicate their harmful or hurtful ideas. Yes, technology makes these negative opinions much more pubic and easy to speak. And yes, there are apps and ways people are able to communicate anonymously. These anonymous social media accounts have triggered a dramatic increase in bullying and harassment which is a blatant negative effect on society. However, an argument can be made that the advancement in technology has also made it much easier for people to share and spread the word on the fight against harassment. I have seen countless videos, posts, blogs, articles, etc. that takes a strong stance against harassment in society and the use of technology will be the main tool in the fight against harassment.

Secondly, the political world has also been both positively and negatively impacted by the use of technology. Similarly to harassment, people are now able to voice their political opinion much more freely and often leads to a harsh environment. Although technology has negative effects on political events, it is often viewed incredibly positively. Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, etc. have made it possible for the ordinary person to voice their opinion and create a true democracy. In the past, most political advertisement has been made by big money. The use of social media and the free technology allows the common public to share their opinion freely and create a much more open democracy.

Finally, technology has proven to have both positive and negative effects on security. The use of technology has contributed negatively to society because it is also available to people who do not have society's best interest in mind. With advancing technology it is becoming easier to harm society both physically and technologically. Physically, the increase in technology has lead to an increased complexity of terrorist attacks, while technologically, the advancement has made it easier to hack into databases, bank accounts, tap telephone wires, and do other illegal activity. The use of technology also has made personal information much more public and easy to access. Although the advancement in technology brings setbacks, the advantages are often equal or greater. We are now able to have more complex security systems (even cyber security) as well as more complex/technologically advanced physical defense systems. Although personal information is more accessible, the advancement has also had positive impacts on personal security.

In conclusion, it is impossible to say whether technology and the advancement of technology has been harmful or helpful to society because it does both in countless examples. Societies harassment, politics, security, and many other things have been forever changed by technology and we are unable to bluntly distinguish whether it has had a positive or negative impact.