Effects of Technology Essays -- essays research papers fc

Advancement in technology has affected many people in many ways. New technology has altered peoples' consciousness, language, and the way society views the world. Technological advancements have made the world smaller, and have made things easier. Computers have been the inventions that have advanced so much since they were developed and have had such a big impact on humanity. Computers were originally developed to use for doing calculations and have come to the point that people cannot function normally without them. "Humans were once considered to be superior to all other creatures of the Earth. The reason for human supremacy was the ability to think, process data, store information, and perform calculations"(Silver, 5). Until the second half of the twentieth century, nothing could perform these tasks faster and more accurately than the human mind. Use of Computers "Computers first became available in the early 1950s to be used as "super calculators" for processing numbers. Since then, computers have evolved into something far superior" (Silver, 10). Much of the reason for the rapid growth and popularity of computers was an increase in paperwork in business and government. "More forms, letters, memos, reports, correspondence, and documents are generated in one day today than were produced in the entire nineteenth century"(Silver, 13). People came to realize that the computer is the best, most efficient, timesaving tool to control information. In 1950 there were only a dozen or so large-scale computers in the United States. By 1975 the number had grown to 155,000. Soon after came the invention of minicomputers, microprocessors, and desktop computers. By the 1990s, a personal computer had grown to become a necessity in almost every home and business. In less than three decades, the computer has become indispensable to business, industry, government, in school, and home. Computer literacy is now considered as vital as learning to read and is to be taught to everyone. The influence of computer technology is evident in many aspects of society. Whether it is to help space exploration or processing checks or producing mailing labels, computers are used. Applications of computers in society influence each typical person. Some recognition of the role of computers results from the way computers... ...oblems like cyberhate arise. Whether we like it or not, computer technology has advanced to the point of becoming a major part of our lives. Each time we use a credit card or register for a class on campus, we are all affected by computers. Computers influence our activities, attitudes, and the way we think. The influence of computers will continue to expand in the future, but people have to learn not to revolve their lives around computers. Works Cited 1. Farina, Stephen. The Wired Neighborhood. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1996 2. Gay, Martin K. The New Information Revolution. California: ABC-CLIO, 1996 3. Mathews, Walter M. ed. Monster or Messiah? :The Computer's Impact on Society. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 1980 4. Moore, Dinty W. The Emperor's Virtual Clothes: the naked truth about the internet culture. North Carolina: Algonquin Books, 1995 5. Rheingold, Howard. The Virtual Community. Massachusetts: Addison-Wesley Publishing Co., 1993 6. Silver, Gerald A. The Social Impact of Computers. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Inc. 1979 7. Conte, Christopher. "Networking the Classroom." Congressional Quarterly Researcher Oct. 1995