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