Contents
1 Definition of technology
2 History and development of technology
3 benefits of technology
4 disadvantages of technology
5 applications of technology
6 references
Technology definition
Technology is a word of Greek origin, consisting of two
syllables, namely: “techno”, which means art, craft, or performance, and the
second syllable is “logia”, meaning study, or science, and thus the word
technology means the science of the ability to perform, or the app. [1]
Technology is also defined as the source of knowledge devoted to making tools,
performing processing, and extracting materials. The term technology is one of
the broad terms that vary in its understanding among individuals, and is used
to accomplish various tasks in daily life; Therefore, they can be described as
the products and treatments used to simplify daily life. [2] Technology is the
application of the sciences used to solve problems, and it is indicated that
technology and science are two different subjects from each other, but they
work together to accomplish certain tasks, or solve problems. [2] Technology
can be applied in all areas of daily life, as it is used in work,
communications, transportation, education, manufacturing, commerce, and other
uses that benefit humans if they are used correctly, and harm them if they are
used incorrectly. [2]
History and development of technology Technology
has gone through many developments through the ages,
technology has been present as long as man has existed, and the most prominent
technological developments in history are as follows: [3]
stone Age
The first forms of
technology appeared in the Stone Age, and it was the transformation of natural
tools into useful tools used by humans, such as sticks and stones.
Neolithic age
Human works developed a lot in the period 3000-500 BC, and
many craftsmen and experts appeared who developed tools to serve humans, and
this is the first technological turning point in history.
middle Ages
During the Middle
Ages, extending between the years 500-1500 BC, the population of the earth
increased a lot, and many crafts and works appeared, including simple
technological tools and machines that serve these works.
Islamic era
The Islamic world expanded militarily and in terms of space
after the seventh century AD, and with this expansion, many technological and
scientific inventions spread through trade and scientific missions, and Muslim
scientists were the source of this technology. The Islamic world became a
civilization with enormous expansive energy in the seventh century. From the
point of view of technological diffusion, the importance of Islam lies in the
Arab assimilation of the scientific and technological achievements of the Greek
civilization, to which it added important additions, and technology spread through
trade contacts with the Levant and North Africa.
The Industrial
Revolution
The actual technological renaissance was considered the
period of the Renaissance, especially the invention of the steam engine in 1709
AD, with this invention all machines developed and the automation system was
gradually introduced in all industries and forms of trade, then steam engines
and fuel engines were invented, and electricity was invented to change the
shape of the world technologically and militarily .
The modern era
During modern times and in the last decades, huge numbers of
technological machines useful to humanity were invented, most notably the
Internet, space science and nuclear technology.
Technology benefits
There are many benefits of technology in our lives , which
benefit the individual and society, and among these benefits are the following:
[4]
Communicate with others
The Internet and mobile devices have contributed to
communicating with anyone in the world and establishing relationships with
people at great distances.
Increase job
opportunities
Technology and computers have increased the opportunity to do
many jobs remotely, as many people are able to work from home at the times they
prefer.
Increasing the wealth of information
It has become possible to access all kinds of knowledge
easily and easily, as books are no longer the only means of knowledge.
Increase entertainment
People have a great choice of movies, shows, games, music,
and other options available at all times.
Saving time and effort
It became possible to perform complex calculations very
quickly, and medical, chemical, and astronomical achievements were also
achieved due to computers, and not only that, technology provided cars, washing
machines, banking services, and many other devices that helped save time and
effort.
Technology damage
There are many damages to technology if used incorrectly, and
among these damages are the following:
pollution
The excessive use of technology led to an increase in waste
in the environment, which led to pollution, as the increase in the number of
vehicles and the resulting emissions is one of the main causes of air
pollution, and the excessive use of agricultural pesticides led to soil
erosion. [5]
waste of time
Technology has contributed to wasting time and energy with
unproductive work. For example, technology has made it possible for people to
surf the Internet; To get the required information, but some people are
addicted to the various activities available on the Internet; Such as playing,
browsing, and other time wasters. [5]
excessive dependency
Excessive dependence on technology in all tasks has
contributed to a feeling of helplessness and inability to accomplish in the
absence of modern means. [5]
Impact on health
Modern technologies
contribute to the impact on health, as the noise generated by the sounds of
vehicles and factories affects the auditory senses of humans, and the excessive
use of mobile phones leads to multiple health problems; Such as tension,
stress, and other problems. [5]
Technology applications
Technology has developed a lot in recent years, and relied on
many tools, such as: the Internet, e-mail, processed calls, spreadsheets,
electronic databases, and automation. Lots of applications such as: [6]
Communication techniques
Long-range
communications are the most important applications of modern technology, and
these communications have brought about a great revolution in the fields of
work. In the past, companies relied on faxes, regular mail and telephone
communications, but now they have been replaced by video communications,
e-mail, text messages and chat programs, which reduced the material cost and
the time required to do work.
Office work
Technology has affected the way we work, making all work and
calls available from the office, and its use has become a routine and habitual
matter for the majority of employees, which has led to a complete shift in
favor of quick office work over field work.
Record keeping and retrieval
Thanks to the spread of technology and most companies, the
method of keeping files has turned to electronic databases, instead of paper
files, so accessing and storing information has become very easy, and dealing
with employees and the work environment has become easy and fast.
Decentralized work and cloud computing
The spread of technology, laptops , tablets, and smart phones
has made it easier to change the idea of the workplace. Work environments
have become more flexible, and it is possible to accomplish a large part of the
work at home, or move to freelance work, and this trend has benefited by
adopting the storage of materials and applications on a single cloud server.
Analytics and New Decision Structures
Technology has helped
to find modern tools for all different business functions, for example,
marketing requires specialists to use many tools and routinely to analyze
business and publish advertisements, and currently all of these characteristics
are available in one program that provides all the necessary tools, and there
are programs for human resources employees that automatically track employment
requests and employee performance .
Information Security
The protection of customer and business data is one of the
most important things in various fields of work, and with the development of
technology, cyber-security attacks have spread on companies, but a lot of
software and applications have been available to protect corporate information.
Automation and
robotics
Technology has developed greatly, and automation has entered
into almost most of the work. In the modern industrial sector, robots have
worked side by side with workers, and their presence has become in increasing
numbers in warehouses, logistics, and even in the security and health fields.