Title: Technology and Society by Dana Bigelow

Thesis: Technology is a fast growing industry in our society. Causing many different effects on
the way we live our lives and the way we view the world.
I.

II.

History
A.

Thesis

B.

The Beginning

C.

Examples and Effects

Development
A)
B)
C)

III.

The Future
A)

I V.

New Technology
Economical Effects
Environmental Effects

Changes we may face

Conclusion

Dana Bigelow

Dana 1

Professor Elizabeth Mckinley

English 111
17 April 2016
Technology and Society

Technology has been rapidly growing since about 2.5 million years ago. While doing
research on technology and the positive and negative effects it has had on our society I have
found many different examples. In this paper I will go through the begging history of how man
first started developments in technology all the way back to the birth. I will give examples of the
pre history of technology and how it has advancement to present time. Technology is a fast
growing industry in our society. Causing many different effects on the way we live our lives and
the way we view the world.

History of Technology

We can first look at the pre history of the birth of technology. Our first discovery of
technology is when man discovered how to give stones a cutting edge. There was
evidence of this in Africa as early as 2.5 million years ago.1 (Wikkipedia) In later years,
man would leave new techniques on how to sharpen the stone edges by rubbing them
against one another, creating spear edges. Around 500,000 years ago in China, one of
mans most crucial important developments in technology was mans capability to tame fire.
It would be about 250,000 years after those hunters would figure out that by placing the
sharpened spears and rocks in the embers of the fire would allow it to harden. 2(History World)

Dana 2

Another important introduction in the world of technology was the wheel. This evolved
around 3000 BC. Many people believe that the wheels development strived from the potters
wheel seeing as both the inventions came about at the same time. Mechanical Gearing would be
the next technology to come about around 350BC. Creating a pulley system for the wheel, which
was first mentioned in Greek text around the 4th century. Rotary Power then was introduced
around 200 BC due to the pulley system. This allowed people to open rotary mills, which were
run by slaves or animals. Before the mills were open the grinding of grains was done by hand.
Using both a mortar and pestle or mashing the grains in between rocks.

Development

Through out the years, mankind has developed technology to suit our needs in society
striving to make it easier for ourselves. One way we have done this is the internet. The internet
itself accounts for 3.4% of the overall GDP in most economies, creating thousands of new jobs
through the ICT, Information Communications Technology. By 2020, the amount of jobs created
by the ICT will increase by 22%. 3(Weforum) Technology has also allowed workforces such as
Amazon divides tasks into small components. Then they take those small components and
contract them out. This then creates a large online payment system which creates more
opportunities for entrepreneurs or self starters. Social media is also something that has allowed
more of an improved efficiency for an online presence. Learning throughout the years, we have
learned to use mining as a way to harvest the materials from the earth. Doing such as also given
way to new kinds of warfare. Countries are using the technology throughout the years to develop
weapons. By using the mercury to create chemicals that one could use to hurt our environment.

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Some technologies such as anaerobic digestion produce renewable energy
from waste materials. . Renewable energy, energy that can be replaced easily. An example of
renewable energy is greenhouse gases, which is dependent on the adoption of energy
conservation
technologies at industrial level as well as this clean energy generation. We have learned to
harness the suns energy to power homes. Weve learned to take the earths gasses and create a
cleaner fuel to help reduce our carbon foot print in the world. The development of hybrid
vehicles running off this fuel is just one way we have harnessed the technology of renewable
energy. Then there are those newer developments of vehicles that o not run off fuel period, only
harnessing the suns energy to power vehicles and even our homes. 1 (Wikkapedia)

This leads to another form of good effects on the environment Energy Conservation,
utilizing many devices that require smaller amounts of energy in order to reduce the
consumption of electricity reducing the use of electricity causes less fossil fuel to be burned to
provide that electricity. Water and air purification, the idea of having cleaner water with less dirt
and contamination and by having green plants that can be grown indoors to create fresh air.
2(Wikkipedia)

Conclusion

I am not sure what it is that the future of technology holds for us. There are those who
believe that our society will become an even more technologically driven race. Where our
homes, cars, and even objects we use in our daily lives will all be controlled by our phones.
Making us, in a since, a more lazy society of humans. Marketing will evolve to the point where

people will never have to leave there homes to shop, simply view and purchasing item from the
Dana 4
homes. Others believe that the robot technology will make lives easier. We already have robots
to vacuum and sweep the floors for us. What will we come up with next, creating a system to do
the lawn, fold clothes? One person is trying to answer that for us, a US company named Hanson
Robotics is in the process of developing a Robert who they have named Sofia. Sofia has a
womans face made out elastic rubber material and cameras in her eyes. 3( intech) What the
future of Sofia no one knows to be certain of until the future comes.

Cited Works
1.) Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, Technology and Society, April 12th 2016
www.Wikipedia.org
2.) In Tech, Concept Future, Innovative Concept, Technology Future, Gloria ST March
24th,2016
http://itechfuture.com/concept-robot-with-a-womans-face/
3.) Weforum, 6 technology mega-trends shaping the future of society, Hans
Brechbuhl, Wednesday 16 September 2015
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2015/09/6-technology-mega-trendsshaping-the-future-

4.) History World, HISTORY OF TECHNOLOGY, Unknown

http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?historyid=ab11