The Effects of Technology
The Good and the Bad
To every decision, there are both
Consequences
Technology
Good Outcomes Bad Outcomes
Bad Outcomes
PollutionNuclear
ProliferationRelative Poverty
Reliance and
Laziness
Pollution
A Growing Problem
• With the rise of Industrialization and machinery, there has been a distinct rise in various types of pollution. – Air– Water– Ground– Noise
Air Pollution
• A larger issue in “developing” countries than “developed” countries.
• A result of industrialization, the CO2
builds up in the atmosphere causing breathing problems for children and the elderly. – Smog
Cairo, Egypt: Breathing the air in Cairo is the equivalent of smoking 20 cigarettes per day.
Los Angeles:
- Studies show that living in L.A. doubles a child’s chance of developing cancer at a later stage in life.
Delhi:
- In a survey of almost 12,000 city schoolchildren late last year, 17 percent reported coughing, wheezing or breathlessness, compared to just eight percent of children in a rural area.
Tokyo:
- As soon as 1946, pollution reached a point in Tokyo, a new form of asthma was declared – Tokyo/Yokohama asthma.
Global Warming
• Popular belief that the increased amounts of CO2 leads to the entrapment of solar heat in the atmosphere causing a slow but perpetual increase in global temperatures.
• Global Warming
Water Pollution
• A result of overpopulation and industrial waste, water pollution rages across industrializing nations.
Ground Pollution
• Often termed littering on a small scale, ground pollution plagues industrialized countries who have moved towards a disposable society
Noise Pollution
• “unwanted or disturbing sound”• Problems related to noise include
stress related illnesses, high blood pressure, speech interference, hearing loss, sleep disruption, and lost productivity
Nuclear Proliferation
What is it?
• Nuclear proliferation is the increasing worldwide availability of nuclear weapons, nuclear knowledge, and nuclear materials such as enriched uranium or plutonium.
Why is it bad?
• On a global scale it is easy to control the use of nuclear weapons by stable nations. – Not the same for radical or
terrorist organizations.
Relative Poverty
What is it?
• The belief that those without want what they do not have. – For example. Who wants a Twix?
Poverty
• Almost half the world — over three billion people — live on less than $2.50 a day.
• But as an industrialized nation, we measure poverty in:– “What kind of phone do you have?”– “What type of car do you have?”– “How big is your tv?”
Reliance and Laziness
The Rise of Obesity
• With the emergence of technology, industrialized nations have seen a dramatic increase in national levels of obesity
Reliance
• How long have you gone without using your phone?
Removal from Nature
One Last Downside…
The Good
Good Outcomes
Life ExpectancyAccess
to Information
Communication
Life Expectancy!!!
1800
• Life expectancy in industrialized countries has risen almost 30 years since 1800
• Infant mortality has decreased from 120 deaths per thousand to roughly 20 deaths per thousand
Why?
• Development of antibiotics, medicine, medical technology– Penicillin – Aspirin
Access to Information!!!
Communication!!!
Access to Communication