Technology is the systematic application of knowledge to the creation of artifacts. These artifacts are used to meet practical goals. Today, technology is used in a wide variety of fields. For example, it is used to create automobiles and computers. It also helps improve human health and well-being. However, it is not without risks.
Instrumental definition
The instrumental definition of technology is a concept often used to criticize the advancement of technology. Despite its widespread use, this definition fails to recognize human agency and treats technology as a force or a means to an end. This approach perpetuates a fear of technology’s runaway effects, and attributes human agency to a narrow technical elite and a few creative geniuses. Such a view does not promote human welfare and may actually harm other cultures.
Human element
The Human Element is one of the key elements of any technology project. As the digitalization of business has evolved, it has become increasingly important to understand this element of the technology process. Many less mature projects overlook the human factor.
Intervening power
As we enter the fourth industrial revolution, technology has the power to be good and evil. To harness its positive potential, new mechanisms are needed to ensure it is used in a way that benefits all stakeholders. To achieve this, states and global tech companies can collaborate to secure internet freedom and unite advanced infrastructure against threats to global stability. These partnerships can also lead to alignment on regulatory issues.
Impact on the environment
Fortunately, there are many technological advances that are helping us to reduce our impact on the environment. Some of these innovations reduce the amount of energy we consume and pollution we put into the environment, while others help to reduce the amount of carbon we release into the atmosphere. In addition, there are many environmental technologies available that can help us preserve our natural resources while still meeting our needs.
Ethics
Ethics in technology is a topic that is growing in importance in the world today. The advent of technology has changed our lives in so many ways, from replacing human labor to bringing some people to power or handicapping them. New technologies have exacerbated ethical questions from the fields of law and bioethics. For example, the right to privacy is continuously attenuated by new forms of surveillance and anonymity. The Internet age has brought with it new questions about ethics, and technologies such as RFID are adding to the complexity.
New thinking about technology
New thinking about technology is the process of reframing the historical development of technology in terms of its ethical and social implications. It complements interpretative sociology and philosophy of technology, while challenging them at the same time. This new approach still involves the investigation of the conceptual richness of ‘technology’ as a category and sharpening analytical categories, but it also challenges the current normative orientation of technology research.