Technology can have two faces: a face of death and a face of life. No wonder technology has given us various gifts but has sometimes come at a cost. A recent case shows how a game manipulates its victim to change his or her religion. What does this signify? The answer is simple. Anything, when overused or wrongly used, has adverse impacts.
On July 20, 2019, a teen was reported dead. He was a college student who was studying commerce. The cause of death is suicide. As per the police investigation, it is evident that the teen was addicted to the ‘Blue Whale’ game. This was a game that became very famous during 2016–2020.
This game brainwashes the victim in order to get full control over him. It had various levels that included multiple tasks that could injure the victim. The last task orders the victim to kill themselves and manipulates it so that the person is bound to do so. The above-mentioned case is that of Pune, Maharastra, India.
The significant question that it raises is: Is technology a friend or a foe? Well, it can only be answered at the end. Agree or not, the world is connected in such a manner that one can never get rid of it. From the start of the day when you wake up until the end when you sleep, thousands of tasks are done using technology. From that simple alarm clock to that nighttime movie, everything is a gift from technology. But no doubt, it also has several adverse impacts on humans.
Technology is a word used as a synonym for advancement and innovation. As discussed earlier, anything overused can cause harm to us. Does this mean the advancement and innovation we are so proud of can ultimately kill us at some point in life? Should we be proud or anxious about the upcoming advancements? There are just so many questions, but answers seem nowhere to be found.
Well, now we must stop raising questions and try to find an answer to all of them. And in order to do that, we first must look at those technologies that have the capability to change our lives. The winner is definitely Mobile Phones. It absolutely does a lot of important chores for which we require a lot of different things.
But due to technology, it’s just a click away. Need to wake up at 4:00 AM? No worries, just click the alarm button! If you need to click the picture of that beautiful flower, click the camera button! Tired of so many hardcopies of important documents? Save them on the cloud. It has made our work easy and made us lazy at the same time.
Secondly, we have television. No need to go to any theatre to watch some newly launched movie; it’s just a click away. Sit comfortably on your sofa and enjoy the thrilling scenes. But it’s not just entertainment that is given to us by technological advancements; it’s much more. It can be a source of life for someone. Nowadays, Robots are used to do complicated surgeries, which ultimately gave several people a second birth.
As a coin has two sides, we need to admit that even technological advancements play dual roles. Technology has several upper hands. We are able to connect with someone living miles away within minutes; no doubt it could never be possible without technological innovation. So great is this innovation that the deaf could hear, the dumb could speak, and the blind could see.
Those planets we heard about only in stories, we can now visit. The Moon, which used to be a part of stories only, can now be stepped on. Privacy and security, which are definitely major concerns at both individual and national levels, are much more advanced due to technological innovations.
A fingerprint scanner is an example of innovation. As Benjamin Franklin once said “Time Is Money”, It should always be our foremost duty to save time and contribute to our own and our country’s advancement. This motive is also fulfilled using technological advancements. Several web browsers, like Google, Firefox, Internet Explorer, etc., help people in various ways, like providing information and many more.
But when we are discussing the advantages, we must also remember the disadvantages. Due to technological innovations, several people are unemployed. Their children died of hunger, and they could do nothing. The previously famous handmade bangles are now replaced with less durable glass bangles.
This has adversely impacted small vendors. In the age of online data storage, it’s also worthy to note that there are several clever-minded thieves roaming. With the increase in technology, our data is at stake too. Moreover, when human resources are given the most recognition and are most valuable, technological advances diminish their value. People tend to grow more lazy as everything is mouthfed to them.
Whereas technological advancements can save lives, they can also endanger them. The mobile device we are addicted to most is spreading harmful rays, which make us ill gradually. Due to their addiction to technology, youngsters are getting into the wrong apps and sites, which makes them distracted.
Well, obviously, not everyone uses everything wisely; we should limit our boundaries. And to answer our question, is Technology our friend or foe? Well, it’s a bit of both. But it mostly depends on our use. One should try to think and use the technology wisely. As Mr. Christian lous lange once mentioned, “Technology is a useful servant but a dangerous master!”
By: Devanshi Singh
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