New Technologies, New Dependencies
Computers have changed the world altogether. There have been massive changes in the
world that were brought about by the invention of the computer. There have been concerns and
disagreements in contemporary societies regarding the use of technology which mainly focuses
on computers. People hold various opinions about the benefits of computers along with the
harmful effects that come with it. Research has shown that the use of computers in the twentyfirst century has had a great impact on socio-economic development; therefore, many people
have this device in their offices, homes and schools. According to Griffiths, computers have
enhanced ...view middle of the document...
Also the computer
is developed in a similar way like the human being in which a hard drive, stores memory similar
to the human brain, the Central Processing Unit plays the role of the human heart, making the
machine work.
Human beings wanted work to be done fast, without any chaos, in an organized and
systematic manner. Inventors had been searching for a way to do work fast and flawlessly. This
actually led to the invention of the computer, that is work is done in a mechanized way. In 1936,
the first proper freely programmable computer was invented. It was invented by Konrad Zuse.
Slowly and gradually computer production developed, and in 1953 IBM (International Business
Machine) became the latest computer system. Since then, there is constant development and
improvement in various computer systems, and scientists are more and more focused on trying to
develop the most user-friendly device possible. In 1976 Steve Jobs set up his company with the
name of Apple and stars to produce the first personal computer kits. Apple kept improving and
bringing out better and more advanced and latest models of computers. For Apple, The new “in”
thing that has now come into the market is the touch. IPhones, IPads and IPods are the latest
gadgets produced. Then, in 1985, Microsoft Windows made its grand entry into the computer
market and has made itself a huge name and earned a major chunk of the market share. By that
time, a subtle competition began between the Apple and Microsoft who hold together most of theYourLastName3
market share in today’s world. In the 1990’s, particularly from 1992-1998, real businesses
experienced an increase on an average of 44% per year on computer prices. Computer companies
would sell their hardware’s and software’s convincing buyer that this was the latest and most
reliable parts that promised improved productivity (Whelan).
Now coming to the question of why there is an argument between people who feel that
computers are an advantage opposed to those who feel it is a nuisance. Well, people have made it
into one because of too much dependency on the device. But is there any other option than to
depend of this microchip? There have always been important differences between the way a
computer and man “thinks”, but it is important to note that no matter how accurate, fast and
reliable computers have become, there are certain things and activities that can only be carried
out by human beings (McCartney, 17-24).
Now, it is more like we are “living in a dictatorship in which people cannot exercise free
will to disengage” (London, 31) and it is true. People are so dependent in today’s age that they
find themselves difficult to exclude themselves from the computer dependency. London cleverly
points out that everyone is relying on computers, including the military, but what people fail to
realize is the fact that computer viruses can just completely cripple the system and can lead to an
“invulnerable...
