Idea of progress : Is modern technology a vital part of our lives ?

Ideas of progress

PB : Is modern technology a vital part of our lives ?

We are going to deal with the notion « idea of progress ». To begin with, I’d like to give a definition of the notion. Progress is a steady evolution towards a better stage.

Progress is the idea that the world and the society can evolve positively in therms of sciences, technology, modernization, living condition, and so on.  We can wonder if modern technology is a vital part of our lives ?However, the idea of progress is still debate between those who consider that it’s beneficial and those for whom it’s harmful.

I. First of all, I think progress is essential to evolve. History is made of progress and evolution that have allowed the world to be what it’s today. Thanks to advances in stecnology, people can comunicate quickly wherever they are and get informed. For example, with internet, people can access to a lot of information, for them or for their work or studies. It is easy to use and doesn't cost a lot of money. Just a connection and you can surf the net whether on your computer or your smartphone. Your life is simplified, you use the net at school, at work or for your private life. You can also download applications on your smartphone and consult your bank account, your e-mails or send messages with enclosed documents or not. It is also possible to have a GPS and stop being lost. It is usefull in your private life but  in your job too.

But some people are really addicted to technologies and can't imagine living without them. Some people in London try to follow a « digital detox » program. That means that they try not to use their smartphones or computers some hours a day or some days a week.

II. Effectively, we can say that  progress can be dangerous if not controlled or used for bad . everyday  we are told  stories about cyberbullying through social networks, mostly in the teenagers'life. It could be really dangerous.

In the USA, there is a community which rejects progress and lives as if they were in the 19th (nineteenth) century, they are the AMISH. They are not against new technologies but they have a selected use of tecnology. The Amish are not a homogoneous group. Some ar more conservative and others are more progressive and would allow more technology in the group.

Before adopting new technologies, the Amish are very cautious, they always debate and ask themselves if it is going to be helpful and bring the community together, or if it is going to have a negative impact.They evaluate what each piece of technology might have on their community. They consider technology as « a case by case basis ». They ask themselves questions such as « How will it impact my life and the life of the community ? Will it really bring satisfaction to my life ? What will it bring me or take away ? »

To conclude, we can say that all these questions could be asked to all of us, that we belong or not to the Amish community. New technologies have positive or negative aspects, it depend on the way we use them. But something sure is that it is more and more difficult not to use them, whatever the age we are.

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