ABSTRACT
Through this paper, the authors would like to analyze the transformation that has taken place in the society due to changes in technology and how it has affected human society in different aspects. First of all, the authors would discuss how technology has metamorphosed agriculture and education. Then, the authors would analyze the effect of technology, particularly social media, on human relationships. Next, the authors would analyze how technology has transformed the way modern humans think & behave and the impact that technology has on our natural skills. Since everything has its own limitations, even technology has its own side effects (on human health) which would be discussed by the author. Metamorphosis of society through increased use of technology in every field has led to a corresponding transformation in approach of criminals to commit crimes as a result of which the society is facing a different category of crimes – the cybercrimes, which would be further discussed by the author.
It is true that technology has led to many problems and sometimes proves to be a threat to human existence but at the same time, we can make use of technology to counter the threats and risks posed by technology itself. The authors would further discuss the ways in which society can be metamorphosed by use of technology in a way that side effects of technology could be done away with.
Thus, the authors would make analysis of all the aforementioned issues and try to find out how various aspects of society have been transformed by use of technology.
METAMORPHOSIS OF SOCIETY THROUGH TECHNOLOGY
Introduction
I keep wondering at night, ‘Will I have a bank the next morning, or will some technology company be doing banking without needing a bank?’
-Uday Kotak[1]
When, in 2006, a girl from India, named Mita, got a job as an associate editor in a UK-based news agency, it raised eyebrows among her friends and family members. More than the job itself, what was surprising was the hiring process, which included her searching through an online job portal, being interviewed by phone and getting the employment contract by email to work remotely. This was a process that spoke volumes about the way technology is changing the lives of ordinary people in still-developing India.[2]
In 2006, the world had already heard about outsourcing, and India had commenced its meteoric rise to its current status as a powerful economy based on a single word, “technology”. Mita went on to work for the British media company for several years, working from home, submitting work by email and getting paid through wire transfers to her bank account, all the while never having met her employers face to face.[3]
Change is an inevitable part of life which we cannot resist. One such change that humans have witnessed is in the field of science and technology. Science & technology is now literally present in every aspect of human life. In a short span of 2-3 decades, technology has transformed our society like never before, having both positive and negative impact on the society.
Objective of the paper
Through this paper, the author aims to analyze both the positive and negative impact that technology had on human society in the course of time, the ways in which our society has metamorphosed by use of technology, be it in the field of education, transport, communication, human relations, crime or law and its impact on human health. The author would conclude by stating how modern society can counter the evils of technology by utilizing technology itself.
Impact on agriculture – Indian society is majorly an agrarian society and most of our population is dependent on agriculture to earn their daily bread. Technology has brought about significant changes in agriculture by devising methods and tools which have made doing agriculture way easier than it used to be, in the following ways:
Modern machines – Earlier, it used to take a long span of time for a farmer to plough fields with help of animals who had their own limitations. Now, with the help of tractors and other equipments, large tracts of land can be ploughed within hours. Time becomes of paramount importance in case of agriculture as the cultivating and harvesting of crops has to be done within limited time frame. Technology facilitates not just the producing of crops at right time but also their distribution at right place to the right people. Modern and quicker means of transport are adopted to sell the produce (especially the perishable produce) to ultimate consumers within a very short span of time. Cold storage and warehouse facilities prevent the perishable produce from aging, ripening and spoilage.
Irrigation facilities have expanded – Earlier, there were limited sources and methods to irrigate a field and most farmers relied on rainfall (which is obviously uncertain) to irrigate their agricultural land. Technology has not only done away with this limitation but has also provided with techniques using which crops can be grown even in desert areas. Various types of irrigation methods can be used depending upon the type of crop and area where the crop is grown. Drip and hose irrigation work better in desert regions and in other areas any type of irrigation method can be adopted depending on weather conditions and the nature of crops.
Transformation in the field of education – Education is of paramount importance for every nation and no nation can survive if its citizens are not properly educated. Technology has helped in improving the methods of education and learning, and has made it an interesting and easy- to- comprehend process. Smart classes, projectors, computers etc. are being increasingly used by schools and colleges to invoke the interest of students in studies. Psychologists have time and again iterated that visual means of learning are more effective and help in grasping and learning things quickly. It not only helps in making the learning sessions more interactive and fruitful but also helps in minimizing the use of paper.
Has technology affected human relationships?
Technology has definitely affected human relationships in both positive and negative ways. On the positive side, it has made it possible for people to stay connected to each other even when they cannot see or touch each other. The mobile phones are a blessing in the sense that we can talk to our near and dear ones at any time, place and date. The new feature of video calls has now made it possible to even see a person while simultaneously talking to them.
On the negative side, too much involvement in mobile phones and social media has ruined relationships as well. The sight of two or more family members, friends or relatives sitting by each other, without uttering a word because they are completely engrossed in their cell phones, has become very common. As per a research conducted by Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile and Boston University, a correlation was found between social media use and divorce rates. Although it may seem surprising that a Facebook profile, a relatively small factor compared to other drivers of human behaviour, could have a significant statistical relationship with divorce rates and marital satisfaction, it nonetheless seems to be the case. The state analysis found that a 20 percent annual increase in Facebook enrolment was associated with anywhere from a 2.18 percent to a 4.32 percent increase in divorce rates depending on the model used. Similarly, the model from individual survey results predicts that someone who does not use social media is over 11 percent happier in his or her marriage than a heavy social media user.[4]
Man is no longer a social being but a ‘social media being’ – With the number of Facebook users increasing not just day by day but every second, with people spending more time on Twitter and WhatsApp than with their family and friends, it would not be wrong to say that modern man has transformed from being a ‘social being’ to being a ‘social media being’. The increasing use of technology in the form of social media by humans has led to social media addiction, which, as the name suggests, is the addiction of human beings to social media that occurs as a result of making excessive use of social media platforms or being too active on social media and having less connectionwith the real environment they live in. Many surveys and studies have shown that there is a tendency in people addicted to social media to participate less in social gatherings and other such activities where face to face conversation takes place. The reason is that they feel awkward and become victims of social anxiety as they are not used to socializing outside their mobile phones and social media. This has led into more and more people, addicted to such social media platforms, to become introverts. Also, they are poor in expressing their feelings and empathizing with other people because of less touch with reality and more connection with the virtual world. This has resulted in the functioning of human beings more as robots and machines and less as living beings which can actually have catastrophic consequences as it can lead to depression and other mental health issues.
Transformation Of Human Mind By Use Of Technology
The real danger is not that computers will begin to think like men, but that men will begin to think like computers.
-Sydney J. Harris[5]
Technology not only has the capacity to impact human relationships, education andagriculture but it also has a huge impact on the way technology ridden human beings think and behave. Technology has taken over our lives in a way that in today’s world, we cannot even think of surviving without technology. Our social lives have become almost non-existent and the sight of two people sitting in a room without even looking at each other, completely engrossed in their mobile phones, laptops etc. is no longer a rare thing. It impacts us in a way that we cannot separate it from us even if we want to. Take the example of social media – everyone who is a part of social media could understand how difficult it is to resist checking our social media account every now and then. According to many surveys, teenagers are the ones most addicted to social media and there is a notable change in how our grandparents and parents used to think and the way we think and behave.
How has technology affected our natural skills?
Rationality is the power to reason. Technology has subtle negative impact on rationality of human beings as it impedes our capacity and ability to use our brains to find answers to even the simplest of queries or inquests that we might have in the course of our day to day life. Any doubt – google it, any question – the internet will answer it, curious? – well, no need to give stress to your brain, just type it on the internet and kill your curiosity!
Earlier, when technology was still in its nascent stage, humans used to satisfy their queries using their brains, books if required, and other sources that they could get their hands on. But today, we see that even the most trivial class assignments (for instance, an essay on ‘My Family’) which require nothing but a bit of thinking and common sense, are being copied from the internet. This has led to a severe blow on natural critical reasoning skills of humans.
It is said that the human tail disappeared in the process of evolution as it was no longer used by the advancing human race. The same thing might happen with our rationality as well, if we keep on depending on technology for trivial things without using the unique gift that nature has bestowed upon us – the power to reason.
Impact on our power to concentrate – In a study conducted by Microsoft Corporation, it was found that the average time a human being could concentrate or focus on a given thing was reduced from 12 seconds to 8 seconds which is even less than the attention span of a goldfish which is 9 seconds.
In the 54 -page study, Microsoft sought to understand what impact technology and today’s digital lives are having on attention spans. The researchers collected data from surveys of more than 2,000 Canadians over the age of 18, who played games online to determine the impact that pocket- sized devices and the increased availability of digital media and information are having on everyday life. The researchers also monitored over 100 people’s brain activity with in-lab monitoring, using electroencephalograms (EEGs).[6]
Not just this, scientists all over the world have time and again stated that use of smartphones, laptops, computers etc. has a negative impact on human memory as well. Excessive exposure to these things affects the prefrontal cortex of human brain which is responsible for poor memory. Apart from shortening our focus and memory, it also shortens our sleep span by causing difficulties in sleeping. Brain tumour is also sometimes caused from the radiation emitted by these devices in case of regular exposure.
Side effects on health – Technology not just in the form of smartphones, computers etc. but in every form has taken a toll on human health. Continuous use of phones, computers etc. can negatively affect our eyesight causing problems like blurred vision, eye strain, dry eyes etc.
In a survey exploring social media patterns, it was found that individuals who spent more time on social media every day felt lonelier than those who spent less time engaged in social media. Additionally, those who spent more time on social media in a given week felt more isolated than those who checked their social media less. An increase in social media use has been associated with increased distractibility and sleep disturbances. Researchers at Vrije University, Amsterdam and Radboud University, Nijmegen have highlighted that we experience a pleasure response to social media sites such as Facebook. Similarly, Erik Peper, Associate Professor of Health Education at San Francisco State University, emphasizes that smartphone use can form neurological connections similar to connections that are seen in individuals with an opioid addiction. Further, in a study of 135 individuals, Peper and his colleagues found that people who utilize their phones more often were more likely to report feeling anxious, depressed, isolated and lonely.[7]
With increase in population, means of transportation have expanded, many industries have come up and this has led to increased pollution. Pollution is directly responsible for global warming, ozone depletion and acid rain which have exposed our society to serious diseases like lung cancer, skin cancer, asthma, bronchitis and several eye problems.
Challenges for society in the form of new class of crimes – the Cyber crimes
Technology breeds crime and we are constantly trying to develop technology to stay one step ahead of the person trying to use it negatively.
-Frank Abagnale[8]
The crimes related to internet and cyberspace are the main examples of how risky technology can provefor the transforming society. Crimes like identity theft, money laundering, hacking, online trading in illegal goods and other high-tech crimes are increasing rapidly as the world is becoming more and more dependent on technology. The increase in crimes with technological innovations has also resulted in corresponding changes in law and society. Many laws have come into existence in the recent past which deal with punishments for cybercrimes and other crimes related to technology.
New technology- related crimes that face society
The technological innovation is growing by leaps and bounds and with it are increasing the vulnerabilities attached toit. The world has become digitally sophisticated and this has paved way for cyber criminals to commit crimes by misusing the technology.The proliferation of computer technology has created a new class of threats -“cyber threats”- which societies must confront. These cyber threats can be generically defined as using computer technology to engage in activity that undermines a society’s ability to maintain internal or external order.[9] Cyber crimes are the crimes committed by misusing computer technology or internet.
The cybercrime rate has also seen a sharp rise in the recent years. According to National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) data, number of cybercrimes committed in 2014 was 9,622 which increased to 11,592 in 2015 and to 12,317 in the year 2016 out of which maximum number of cybercrimes were reported in the state of Uttar Pradesh (2,639 cases).
There are multiple ways in which technology has contributed to increasing crimes. Following are the methods by which criminals misuse technology:
Hacking– This is the most common cyber crime and most of the people using social media have fallen a prey to this crime. Hacking involves access to another person’s or authority’s data or computer system by illegal means, without the knowledge or permission of the person or the authority concerned. There are many forms of hacking as well, out of which some of the most common are as follows:
- Password Hacking- It involves obtaining password illegally and then misusing it to commit crime.
- IP Address spoofing – It is the disguising of IP address to steal information illegally.
- Software Piracy – It involves copying and using the software of any person or authority illegally.
- Viruses and Trojan horse – Sometimes the hackers may slip virus into the computer
system and make it look harmless. This is called trojan horse and it can pass all information of our system to the hackers.
Identity Theft – As the very name suggests, it means impersonating someone else (or stealing someone else’s identity) illegally for any wrongful purpose. There are various types of identity thefts:
- Criminal identity theft – When a criminal falsely impersonates as some other person to the police at the time of arrest, it is known as criminal identity theft. The criminals may give fake IDs of the victim to the police. In such cases, it becomes difficult for the victim to prove his innocence.
- Medical identity theft – It refers to the theft of identity of a person in order to misuse the identity to seek medical care. This may result in accumulating of incorrect information about the victim’s medical health.
- Tax identity theft –It involves theft of social security number of a person by the perpetrator to receive tax refund. The victim only becomes aware that his social security number has been misused when he files his tax refund and the internal revenue service informs them that it has already been filed in his name.
- Corporate identity theft – Corporate identity theft or business identity theft, as the very name suggests, involves theft or misuse of the identity of a business for illegal purposes. Hackers and corporate identity thieves may set up fake websites online similar to that of registered businesses thereby impersonating the original registered business. In the recent years, there has been a sharp rise in this crime. This sharp rise may result because of the following reasons:
- It is not very difficult to impersonate a company’s identity and because of the uncomplicated nature of the crime, it has become easier for cyber criminals to steal a company’s identity.
- Nowadays, a lot of business activities take place via internet in an online mode. Faith of people in online business and transaction of business via online mode has resulted in an increase of corporate identity theft cases.
Cyber Stalking – This involves stalking or following a person, a group or organization, by using internet, with a malicious intent (which includes but is not limitedto harassing, defaming, making sexual remarks or collecting information that may be used to threaten the person, group or organization). Section 354 (D) of the Indian Penal Code defines stalking which includes cyber stalking. Section 499 (C) of IPC deals with defamatory remarks made by use of internet and section 66 (e) of Information Technology Act, 2008 prescribes punishment for a person who violates the privacy of other person. Section 72 of the IT Act 2008 is also used to deal with cyber stalking and prescribes punishment which may include imprisonment for upto 2 years or fine which may extend to one lakh rupees or both.
Online harassment also includes sexual harassment which is defined under section 2(n) of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition, and Redressal) Act 2013 which includes any one or more of the following unwelcome acts and behaviour, namely:
- physical contact and advances; or
- a demand or request for sexual favours; or
- making sexually coloured remarks; or
- showing pornography; or
- any other unwelcome physical, verbal or non-verbal conduct of sexual nature;[10]
Intellectual Property Theft– It refers to the theft of intellectual property like copyright, trademark, trade secrets etc. The perpetrators sell the stolen material using internet thus causing a huge loss to the victim. Stealing intellectual property was way more difficult without the use of computer and internet as the perpetrators had to sell the stolen material in person and it involved a lot more effort and risk.
MMS and Child Pornography-Child pornography is considered to be any depiction of a minor or an individual who appears to be a minor who is engaged in sexual or sexually related conduct. This includes pictures, videos, and computer-generated content. Even altering an image or video so that it appears to be a minor can be considered child pornography.[11] This is a criminal offence.
In Kamlesh Vaswani v. Union of India & Others[12], a school bus driver and his helper forced the school children to see pornographic films to and molested them. In this case the court ordered the government to take measures to curb such activities.
Cyber Terrorism–Section 66 (f) of the IT Act 2008 defines cyber terrorism and prescribes punishment for committing it. One of the examples of cyber terrorism is the misuse of technology by the terrorists involved in 2008 Mumbai attacks. The terrorists used satellite phone and cell phones to converse with each other and used Google Earth to gain knowledge about the location of the buildings.
Even inAhmedabad bomb blast case of 2008, the terrorists send warning e-mails to many news agencies five minutes before the bomb blast and used cell phones to converse with each other.
Economic factor behind technology leading to crimes – In modern times, due to innovation and technology, more and more enterprises have shifted from labour- intensive techniques to capital- intensive techniques of production.This has resulted in labour class getting unemployed and becoming poorer whereas the enterprises are becoming richer due to use of capital- intensive techniques. The labour class, having very few options to earn their daily bread, find the path of crime lucrative. This gives rise to crimes such as theft, dacoity, robbery, power theft and even cybercrimes like identity theft and other online financial crimes as they find it easy to commit crimes than to find jobs.
Technology and drug trafficking–Drug sellers now rely on technology to sell their drugs. They track their merchandise using high- tech trackers. Earlier, the drug traffickers used beepers to talk to each other but now they are misusing technological innovations to hide behind the mask of anonymity.
How Modern SocietyIs Using Technology To Counter TheEvils Of Technology Itself?
Most people consider science and technology as the main factor behind environmental pollution and degradation but technology is just a tool that human beings use to make life easier and its use and misuse both ultimately depend on human beings. There are many ways by which technology can be used to recover and protect our environment which is getting degraded day by day.
Taking recourse to solar and other renewable energy–Electricity has become an indispensable part of our lives. Much of the environmental pollution is caused in the process of producing electricity by burning fossil fuels. To curb pollution caused due to burning of fossil fuels, we may switch to solar electricity which is not only environment friendly but also cheaper. Solar energy, as the name suggests, use photovoltaic panels which absorb sunlight to create energy. Apart from preventing air pollution, solar energy may help protect environment in the following ways:
- Very less water requirement – Water is the most important resource without which human life is impossible. The electricity produced using fuelsrequires a lot of water. On the other hand, very little or no water is required to produce solar electricity. It only uses panels, sunlight and semi-conductors to produce energy.
- Reduces greenhouse effect –Greenhouse effect is the warming of earth due to trapping of sun’s energy by some gases. Burning of fossil fuels for producing electricity releases a number of greenhouse gases which not only raise temperature of the earth but also lead to climate change. In the recent years, climate change has caused manysudden disruptions due to extreme weather conditions like cyclones, earthquakes, storms etc. Solar electricity does not produce any greenhouse gas and therefore helps in preserving environment.
- No adverse effect on health – Solar energy does not have any adverse effect on human and animal life as it does not emit harmful gases unlike traditional electricity which involves emission of toxic gases that result in a number of diseases like asthma, headache, heart attacks and sometimes even cancer.
- Reduction in mining –In order to produce energy, coal mining is required for which thousands of forests are cut down. Not only does it lead to deforestation, but also causes water pollution whereby toxic matter gets into water bodies killing aquatic animals.
Making less use of paper – Much of environmental degradation takes place because of deforestation. One of the reasons for which trees are cut down is to make paper. We can make use of computers and other such information technology in place of paper, wherever possible. This will help in reducing deforestation.
Monitoring of activities causing harm to environment – Technology can be used to make sure that environmental laws and ethical practices with regard to environment are being followed. The government can make use of drones to check poachers who illegally kill animals in the forests. Government also keeps an eye on companies through technical devices to ensure that they do not cause pollution beyond permissible limits.
Use of electric vehicles –Much of air pollution is caused by the use of automobiles. This can be curbed by the use of electric vehicles in place of traditional automobiles. Electric vehicles cause way less pollution when compared to petrol/diesel automobiles because they run on electricity and not fuels.
In the recent past, Delhi government framed a policy to ensure that electric vehicles are used in Delhi in order to curb the menace caused by air pollution in the Union Territory.
Conclusion
Technology has revolutionized human society, the way society functions by influencing all aspects quintessential to its functioning. The way our grandparents and parents used to live, the resources they had at their disposal, everything greatly differs from what we have today. Every advancement brings with it new challenges and threats which must be confronted by members of our society. Our lives have become easier due to advent of technology but at the same time we have to face its side effects. Following a balanced approach would be helpful in tackling the negative impacts that technology has on our transforming society. Afterall, it is not the technology that is bad, it all depends on the use that it is put to. We should make use of technology to make progress but what needs to be taken care of is that technology should not rule us and every possible step should be taken to prevent its misuse because the modern human society has become so much dependent on it that even the slightest misuse of any technological innovation in any field would pose a threat to entire society.
Technologyis, of course, a double-edged sword. Fire can cook our food but can also burn us.
-Jason Silva[13]
[1]“Uday Kotak Quotes.”,Brainy Quote, BRAINY MEDIA INC.(Feb. 23, 2019), https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/uday_kotak_708761.
[2]MoumitaBasu, How the Indian Technology Revolution changed everything, IDG CONNECT (Aug. 20, 2013), https://www.idgconnect.com/idgconnect/opinion/1024802/indian-technology-revolution-changed.
[3]Id.
[4] Everette Rosenfeld, Social Networking linked to divorce, marital unhappiness, CNFC (Jul. 8, 2014, 02:10 PM), https://www.cnbc.com/2014/07/08/social-networking-linked-to-divorce-marital-unhappiness.html.
[5] “Sydney J. Harris Quotes”,Brainy Quote, BRAINY MEDIA INC. (Feb. 23, 2019), https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/sydney_j_harris_104631.
[6] Lizette Borreli, Human Attention Span Shortens To 8 Seconds Due To Digital Technology: 3 Ways To Stay focused, MEDICAL DAILY (May 14, 2015, 06:46 PM), https://www.medicaldaily.com/human-attention-span-shortens-8-seconds-due-digital-technology-3-ways-stay-focused-333474.
[7]Shainna Ali, Is Social Media making you Lonely, PSYCHOLOGY TODAY (Oct. 5, 2018), https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/modern-mentality/201810/is-social-media-making-you-lonely.
[8]“Frank Abagnale Quotes.”, BrainyQuote.com., BRAINY MEDIA INC. (Nov. 8, 2016), https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/frank_abagnale_530060.
[9] Susan W. Brenner, At Light Speed: Attribution and Response to Cybercrime/Terrorism/Warfare, 97 J. Crim. L. & Criminology 379 (2006-2007).
[10]Sexual harassment of women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, No. 14, Acts of Parliament,2013 (India).
[11]JUSTIA,https://www.justia.com/criminal/offenses/sex-crimes/child-pornography/.
[12]Kamlesh Vaswani v. Union of India, (2014) 6 S.C.C. 705 (India).
[13]“Jason Silva Quotes.”, Brainy Quote.com., BRAINY MEDIA INC. (Feb. 24, 2018), https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/jason_silva_621954.
