the effects of technology

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