Technology Should Serve Us, Not the Other Way Around!

Technology has come a long way. It's made our lives easier in countless ways. From work to entertainment, digital technology has become an integral part of our daily lives. However, with the advancement of digital technology, there has been a growing concern that we are serving the digital platform, rather than it serving us. With the monetization of our digital data, some say technology has turned the consumer into the product. 

The Evolution of Technology

Technology has come a long way in recent years. From the invention of the wheel to the latest smartphones, technology has been a driving force behind human progress. It has helped us to improve our lives in countless ways, from improving health care to increasing productivity in the workplace. However, this progress has come at a cost.

As technology has evolved, it has become more complex, and the processes we use to interact with it have become more complicated. We have become slaves to technology, and it is making our lives more complicated. We have become dependent on technology to the point where we cannot function without it. This dependence is becoming a problem, and we need to take a step back and reevaluate our relationship with technology.

The Negative Impact of Technology

Technology has had a negative impact on our lives in many ways. The overuse of technology has been linked to mental health problems, such as anxiety and depression, and it has been linked to sleep disorders, such as insomnia.  These issues are significantly more pronounced in young children and teens.

Additionally, technology has also had a negative impact on our social lives. We are becoming increasingly reliant on technology for communication, and this is having a negative impact on our face-to-face interactions and interpersonal communication skills. We are losing the ability to communicate effectively with others, and this is having a negative impact on our social lives, business, and the social structure of the country as whole.

The Consumer Becomes the Product

Technology should be developed and presented to users in a way that is beneficial to them. It should be developed with the user in mind, and not just for the sake of innovation. Technology should be designed to make our lives easier, not more complicated. It should serve us and our needs.

To illustrate this point, smartphones have become an essential part of our daily lives. They are used for everything from communication, to entertainment, and even work. However, smartphones have become increasingly complicated, and the processes we use to interact with them have become more complex. We have become slaves to our smartphones, and they are making our lives more complicated, not less.

While our smartphones, smart homes, and smart cars certainly have aspects of them that make our lives simpler and more convenient, the average user only uses a fraction of their smart devices total functionality!  Most users are simply unaware of those features or those functions are too complicated. Many features have no purpose or use in the average person's daily life.  

Often, these apps, programs, or functions are simply innovation for the sake of simply being something new.  They offer no value added to the user, but they do increase the cost of purchasing, maintaining, and repairing our devices.  New technologies should have an emphasis on the needs of the user, and not to increase the popularity of the technology platform.   

A Balanced Approach

It is important that we take a balanced approach to technology. We need to acknowledge the benefits of technology, while also being aware of the negative impact it can have on our lives. We need to find a balance between using technology to improve our lives and being aware of the negative impact it can have. We should use technology to improve our productivity in the workplace, to stay connected with others, but we should also be aware of the negative impact it can have on our social lives on our overall mental health.