Technology is the use of tools and devices to achieve practical goals. It can include tangible tools like utensils or machines, as well as intangible tools like software or information systems.
Technological advances are a vital part of our modern world, but they can also have significant negative consequences. While some technologies have contributed to economic growth, increased human comfort and convenience, medical progress, and more, others have disrupted social hierarchies, exacerbated inequality, or even caused harm.
In terms of education, technological advancements can help improve communication between students and teachers. Online learning platforms, for example, enable teachers to share assignments and course materials with students. These platforms allow students to access these assignments from any location, whether they are in class or at home.
Incremental technology focuses on improving existing technological aspects rather than creating new ones. This can involve releasing security patches, upgrading versions of operating systems, or making other small improvements to a product or service. This type of technology is often overlooked by the media, but it has a huge impact on the lives of people using these products.
Any reusable, low-resistance path to an end implicitly prioritizes some ends over others. For example, when digital cameras became commonplace, many people switched from analogue photography pathways that involved film and darkrooms. These pathways were not necessarily worse, but they were deprioritized and made less appealing by the new technology. In a similar way, the popularity of TVs exponentially scaled the behavior of sitting and zoning out in front of a screen, hypnotized by visual stimulation.