With the rise of AI and a surge of other new technologies, the future is here. It can be too easy to get swept up in all the negativity and fear as society tries to imagine and prepare for what life will look like even a decade from now.
But there has always been a fear of technology and the uncertainty it brings with it, even since the Industrial Revolution. Now, in the 21st century, we can look back and see all the good that technology has done for us.
In general, technology has made our lives and work easier, more efficient, and safer. Read on to see 5 good things technology has made possible!
Staying Connected
We know this is the obvious one, but we often take it for granted. With the rise of cell phones, social media, and video chatting, our world has never been so interconnected. The ability to speak to someone on the opposite side of the globe almost instantaneously would sound like a superpower only a century ago.
Today, it’s easy to maintain friendships and check in on family with a simple text, call, or video chat. And if you have a friend you lost contact with, just look them up on social media and you may be catching up again in less than an hour.
This ability has also given many of us the freedom to explore the world without the fear of missing out on things back home or not being able to contact loved ones in case of an emergency. We’re free to develop new connections and friendships all over the map.
Working From Home
Let’s be honest—many of us would rather work from the comfort of our own homes than at the office, especially if you live somewhere that has snowy winters and/or morning traffic.
Largely due to Covid-19, there has been a huge shift toward remote and hybrid-remote jobs in almost every industry. During this shift, many programs and technologies were created to help employers accommodate the transition to working completely online, like Zoom.
While employees expected their jobs to return to normal after the dust settled, it turned out that a large portion of these jobs were better off remote. Employers found that they didn’t have to pay for so much office space and supplies, and that they could broaden their search for new employees across the nation or even overseas.
In turn, employees found may benefits to working from home, including the freedom to dress casually, not having to drive to work and pay for gas, being able to set up their home office exactly how they like it, and being able to avoid certain stressors and distractions they would have at a public office.
Remote jobs are especially fitting for those who are introverted and would rather not have to interact with people face-to-face or find it distracting to do so. People with disabilities now have a broader range of work opportunities that can accommodate their needs thanks to tech-based remote jobs as well.
Advancements in Healthcare
Wearable fitness technology such as Smartwatches and FitBits have helped many people monitor their health and reach their goals, like losing weight, lowering blood pressure, and increasing physical activity. But these are just the tip of the iceberg for recent technological advancements in the medical field.
Since the rise of advanced AI, medical scientists have been implementing programs in incredible new ways to assist doctors. Due to its ability to process large amounts of data more efficiently than humans, AI has been used to recognize patterns indicating certain diseases or illnesses and even help pinpoint which treatments would be most effective for different individuals.
AI has even been used to suggest new drugs and simulate clinical trials so medical scientists can more accurately predict the results before testing. Medical scientists are already researching and testing AI’s possible applications in robotic surgery as well, to reduce human error and fulfill the high demand for surgeons in areas where there is a shortage.
Speaking of robotics, bionic limbs have been making headway recently with a bionic arm which has fingers that can be controlled individually with brain signals, a bionic leg that moves more naturally to reduce stress on the patient, and an exoskeleton that assists people with spinal cord injuries in standing and walking.
Once perfected, these technologies could have amputees and those who are paralyzed moving and walking without issue in the near future. These are just a few examples of the incredible technologies medical scientists are working on to revolutionize the future of healthcare.
Online Shopping
Gone are the days of being trampled by a wild herd of Christmas shoppers on Black Friday. The convenience of being able to buy almost anything you need online and get it shipped right to your doorstep just can’t be beat.
Online shopping lets you quickly and easily compare prices on other sites to make sure you’re getting the best deal, and reviews will let you know when it is and isn’t worth the price.
The time and money we save without having to leave our houses is a huge blessing for busy individuals and those with kids they’d rather be spending their time with. These technologies also make it far easier for elderly people and those with disabilities to shop for groceries.
Online stores make a lot of money in sales, and the good news is that technology has also made it possible for you to get in on the action. If you have handmade goods or another product you want to sell, you can do so easily with the help of storefront sites.
Many people have made a living off starting their own business this way and using social media to market it for little to no personal expense.
Wealth of Information
Never before has there been an age where we have an infinite library of information at our fingertips. Instead of taking the time to drive to your local library with the hope of finding a book that answers the exact question you have in mind, you can just type it into a search bar and find your answer instantly.
This makes DIY projects and fixing broken things around your home far easier to do. Is there a skill you’ve always wanted to learn? Pull up an article or a YouTube video and teach yourself!
On top of mundane information, we now know more about what’s going on in the world beyond what our eyes can see. We are more informed with national politics and international affairs, which means we can be more involved in making a positive impact by speaking up for change, reaching out to those in need, making donations, fund raising, and so much more.
Having a window to the world in our palms also makes it easier to share our cultures with one another more effectively to broaden our understanding of the world, open ourselves up to new experiences, and learn more about what it means to be human.
These are just a handful of the positive things new technology has brought us in the past century. What useful technologies would you like to see in the future?
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