Currently, the very word technology is often heard being articulated by people in all walks of life. Whether they use it with its appropriate meaning or else is left to speculation is often doubtful. It is so much widespread that it is on the tip of every person’s tongue. Someone in the street, who has little touch with the actual use and the full understanding of why he utters it, is something to be seriously considered or thought over. Knowingly or unknowingly, they are often heard vociferating it. In other words, they say it loudly whether or not it conveys the actual message they try to impart to others.
As it is globally recognized and commonly used and understood, technology is a science of industrial art which means that it is the changes brought about by mechanical inventions. To create or design machines that facilitate things that a person do, related to production, which would otherwise become tiresome and take longer time.
In agriculture or in any other advanced production system, at its inception, technology had relatively assisted humans and in the course of time, after about three hundred years, it has grown to the level where we are witnessing today. Our witness is not as ordinary as it used to be as the growth of technology is almost ‘at the speed of light’ that in the way we are forced to be mesmerized by it.
Man, in his history of existence, for most of the time in production, had been engaged in his undertakings manually, with limited amount may be enough for his personal consumption and a little more for commercialization. The science of industrial art to understanding, or familiarity gained by thousands of years of harsh experience, most probably made man to search means for easy way of production.
This takes a science where knowledge is arranged in an orderly manner especially obtained by observation and testing of facts; pursuit of such knowledge – natural (physical) knowledge of the nature of the universe. Familiarity with the objective realities gained by experience through range of information must have enabled man to develop technology and pursuing its growth to the level it is now.
Today, it has become a thing of wonder. Industries abundantly produce commodities with less manpower and in short time. The advancement and spread of technology is noticed in mobile phones production. Most mobile phones are not only for communication purpose. The most sophisticated ones are very helpful to get various uses: internet services, to send and receive short e-mail messages, to watch television, to listen to music and photographing. Moreover, mobile phone with installed global positioning system (GPS) helps to locate directions.
Of course, such phones are also to make a phone in call. According to Washington Post, one sophisticated mobile phone, which can serve like a computer, has more power than the facility the North American Air Force was used in 1965. According to the paper, while out of two persons living on the earth, one has a mobile phone. At the same time, at least in 30 countries, their citizens have mobile phones more than the number of their population.
The paper has also indicates that in the history of mankind we are watching a very fast development of technology around the world. Out of the mobile users around the world, close to 60% are found in the developing countries. Thus, mobile phone is the first in winning quite a large number of users in these countries.
For instance, in 2008, Afghanistan was giving service to about 140,000 for new clients every month and in Africa as of late the users of the phone have increases by 50% every year. Nevertheless, there are problems related to the communication systems. Mobile phone pagers and laptop computers, by making people to be available anytime and anywhere, some users think that there is no way to escape the electronics network. On the contrary, there are quite a lot of technology addicts who are rather pinned down by the technology in search of new development in the area.
Related to the modern communication and message exchange systems, among the major problems that have emerged are being addicted to the technology, division of focus and failure to stick to what is originally intended to accomplish. At the same time, the results of these technologies have a lot of use. Therefore, in wisely maintaining the balance how should you make the best use of them in the way you can most benefit from them? How can you use the results of these technology in which wisdom and concerns are reflected? The following topics can be answers to the questions. Is technology a blessing or a curse?
A certain driver while driving, his car is out of control and he crashes with the pole on the road side. At this time, his girl- friend sustained severe injury, and soon using his mobile calls to get emergency assistance. Nevertheless, how did the car become out of control? He received a call and for a brief moment he shifted his attention from the road to respond to the call. From this example we can learn that modern technology can become a blessing or a curse to us. The choice depends on the way we use it.
However, many people do not choose to use the relatively backward and obsolete technology results. For example, computers in addition to relieving us from tiring work, without ups and downs, by means of the internet, they enable us to carryout business transaction and money transfer through the bank. At the same time, we can exchange voiced messages by sending e-mail and we can also meet other people by means of the camera installed on the computer. A few decades ago, the family members individually going to their respective work places, there was no way they could speak to one another until they come back in the evening.
To clearly depict the horrendous situation, the newspaper known as USA Today, explains that among the husband and wife who have mobile phones, 70% only to make a daily call to exchange greetings and 64% use it to organize and coordinate their programs. At the same time 42% percent parents use mobile phone to talk to their children. Therefore, do not allow a useful thing to create trouble to you. Excess or inappropriate use of technology can cause mental or physical harm.
Let us see the situation of the recently married couples. According to a certain news report, these husband and wife, in their cars or in sport frequenting place, and even in their home being in different rooms they were calling each other with their mobile phone. Sometimes they waste 4000 minutes or more than 66 hours and yet they were unable to let go of their mobile phones. A certain psychiatrist said that there is an indication of the sign of addiction in the husband and wife. It looks as if their relationship is based on the mobile phone.
Perhaps the above shown example appears too exaggerated, yet it indicates that there is serious tendency. Many people think how difficult to stay even for an hour without talking to people. It is good to regularly check if we have a message; we may have to use internet every time and at the same time we may have to exchange short messages with our friends, said a woman in her twenty’s.
To come to the point, if you waste your time by using the communication systems that allow you to meet with others, and if you are trapped by these communication systems, neglecting other activities in your life, this is the sign that indicates that you have a problem in your mind.
Moreover, these people, who stay in one place alone for hours, since they do not have physical exercise, they will be exposed to heart disease, diabetes or other serious illnesses. Such people are also exposed to other dangers. As much as it facilitates what we are engaged in, let us beware of the dangers lurking to bounce on the naïve prey.
The Ethiopian Herald Friday 6 March 2020
BY JOSEPH SOBOKA
