From housing companies that sponsor programs which extend technology to senior citizens to fifty-year-old corporations that discover success largely due to the adoption of mobile communication technologies, both businesses and local communities have been changed by the development and deployment of emerging technology.

Still, technology doesn't make the world perfect. Technology has provided us with a myriad of improvements in our daily lives, but it has also proved that it can be an devastating monster. On August 6, 1945, technology proved how deadly it could really be. On that day, the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan. It was followed three days later by a second bomb that destroyed the buildings, the city, and the culture of Nagasaki. As helpful technology continues to advance, so does destructive technology. Every day, millions of dollars are invested in the creation of more deadly weapons. The weapons take thousands of innocent lives, caught in the crossfire between struggling powers.



Priscilla, a 37-kiloton atom bomb, was detonated June 24, 1957, at the Nevada Test Site and exposed communities across the United States to radioactive fallout.




Photograph taken after the bombing of Nagasaki, showing the devastation caused.
Photograph of Priscilla courtesy of National Geographic.
Photograph of Nagasaki courtesy of combatcamera.org.

Because of this, many people are afraid of the inevitable change that technology brings. They also fear a decrease in human creativity and resourcefulness and a growing dependence upon fallible technology. Parents often also fear a new type of addiction as they watch their children spend countless hours playing videogames or surfing the internet.

However, their fear of technology is an empty one. It should be used with caution but not feared. On both personal and professional levels, technology provides people with new opportunities and new ways to tackle challenges. Technology should be embraced. In responsible and educated hands, the benefits of technology generally outweigh its negative impacts on society. The death and destruction that some new technologies may cause are necessary risks.



Many lives are saved with advances in medical technology.
Photograph courtesy of NY Times.

Technology is a tool. Like any other tool, humans wield it to make their lives easier and more productive. The focus should not be on the tool itself, but rather what is done with the tool. Technology is a powerful weapon; choosing to improve our lives or put them in danger is up to us as we continue to discover, invent, and innovate.