As the Norwegian historian, Christian Louis Lange, once said:” Technology is a useful servant

but a dangerous master”. Technology is the foundation on which we built our world and
thanks to which our planet is connected more than ever. However, nowadays, we, so-called
free human beings, are controlled by the inventions we created: the Media, for example,
have so much power over our actions and our reactions. The first thing we do when we
wake up in the morning is check for notifications on our cellphones or our laptops. But at
this point, are we really privileged and advantaged to own these machines? This practical
application of knowledge has given us uncountable benefits but we can’t ignore the shaded
area of that situation. How has the power that technology gained in the last century taken
its toll on us?
I- Technology has changed work patterns:
 Virtual work: great because the economic situation of the country doesn’t
affect the work but bad because jobs are disappearing (mailman, dactyl
typing workers)
 Automation: workers replaced by software or robots, truck drivers
replaced by self-driving vehicles, fast-food workers, and cashiers (people
with low level of education find it hard to find jobs).
 Outsourcing: smart people look for a way to replace normal people
(middle-class people) with an overseas worker, robot, program (it’s
cheaper); social divide between people with a college degree and others
that are left behind from technology.
II- Technology has shaped social standards and their future:
American geographer, Jared Diamond, once said: “Technology has to be invented
or adopted”. However, we start doubting these words because we have arrived
to an extent where technology is adopting us and inventing new versions of us
through genetic engineering.
 Genetic engineering: PGD is a good step for humanity because it cures
diseases like genetic diseases (cancer) or deadly diseases (HIV). If you can
cure someone, why wouldn’t you?
But it changes social standards because of the “Design your baby” (for
cosmetics purposes). American architect, R. Fuller: “Humanity is acquiring
all the right technology for all the wrong reasons”.
 More job destruction, more social problems: substance abuse, domestic
violence, child abuse, depression, children born outside of married
household, isolation (people would rather stay at home than go out).
 Power of media and ads through technology (photoshop- computer
retouching) ads portray an impossible female image, female body turned
into an object, which leads to: low self-esteem, violence against women,
eating disorders, dehumanize women, brainwash men to see women as
objects and have little to no respect for them.
In conclusion, as physicist, Albert Einstein, once said: “the human spirit must prevail over
technology”. Technology has helped the human race on multiple scales; however, we
sometimes misuse these inventions which leads to dangerous consequences. We should
learn how to wisely use these machines without becoming modern slaves ourselves. After
all, technology is doing everything a man can do, just faster and all at once.