Since the invention of fire, the apparent advancement of technology has had an irrefutable impact on human lives, culture, and society at large. There’s no denying the technological development occurring everywhere; from the advancement of automobiles to communication devices, technology plays a critical role in shaping the human lives. It’s therefore, not a wonder to see the human habitat evolving rapidly to take advantage of the various technological inventions available. Whether a person is residing in a condominium or home, they’re bound to experience a sea of changes.
The smart home, which is a product of connecting smartphones with home appliances and devices, has been embraced by many and for a good reason. Connected devices provide a host of benefitsover their traditional counterparts. They afford homeowners and dwellers more control over their homes, facilitating enhanced security, environmental friendliness and not to mention added comfort and luxury. Connected devices can pretty much be perceived as digital maids and butlers; they provide an ideal living environment with reduced effort and energy.
Here are more ways in which technology is changing our lives:
Table Of Content
1. Improved Lifestyle
With advanced technology, people’s lifestyles have significantly changed for the better. Homes are now peppered with a myriad of useful smart devices that include ovens, toasters, microwaves, air conditioners, refrigerators, dehumidifiers, dishwashers, and vacuum cleaners, all of which are intended to make life easier.
Most household chores are currently executed automatically by smart devices, which makes it incredible to believe that people used to survive without the internet of things.
Advanced technology has seen the introduction of advanced home smart solutions like security cameras, automated door locks, and lighting control. These go a long way in making a home more secure.
Kick-starting the day is now easier due to smart gadgets that assist people with waking up, making coffee, preparing natural juices or smoothies. Also, taking showers is no longer a dreaded affair thanks to hot water systems.
Looking up important information is also pretty easy thanks to Facebook and Twitter among other social media websites.Also, the internet has brought about added convenience through online shopping, which can be accomplished anytime of the day/night and from the comfort of a home.
2. Advanced Healthcare
It’s no secret that the healthcare industry has benefited significantly from technological advancements. The majority of modern hospitals have integrated advanced technology in their operations including in the surgical rooms, reducing the chances of committing fatal errors. Besides, outpatients can count on some phone and desktop apps to monitor their heart rate and weight among other health-related properties.
The internet is arguably people’s main source of medical information. It’s not unusual to find people diagnosing themselves using data collected from the internet, particularly from other web users experiencing similar symptoms.
The internet is also peppered with treatments and medical remedies, including alternative medicine. With advanced technology, doctors and physicians all over the world can now consult widely with their colleagues using text messages, emails, and videos. This is particularly beneficial for physicians and patients residing in rural and under-developed regions.
3. Facilitates Working at Home
Those who used to work without modern technology recall how difficult it was to accomplish anything. Every business transaction was recorded on analog computers, which were painstakingly slow. Worse still, if a worker or a business person wasn’t in the office or at home, there was no way of reaching them.
Those days are since gone and the modern workforce is comprised of millennials and generation Xers who cannot imagine working without technology.
Thanks to technological advancements, there currently exist modernized and sophisticated items like computers, smartphones, cameras, various online platforms, and fast internet. These items allow the modern workforce to communicate instantaneously from any corner of the world. The present-day employees can also access copious amounts of data on the cloud.
With this kind of technology, people don’t engage in the chaotic commute from home to work, followed by eight long hours in the office. Working from home is now possible and more people are investing in home-based offices from which they accomplish their chores through the help of modern computers, fast broadband connections, smartphones, and cyber cameras. These items help them stay in touch with their bosses and co-workers. They also help them to hold live, virtual conferences and work on files collaboratively with their colleagues.
Thanks to modern technology, entrepreneurs can find clients online and get paid for their products or services. Working from home essentially allows parents to monitor their kids and helps with the development of the child-parent bond.
4. Elevating a Home’s Entertainment Experience
In the recent past, entertainment experiences thrived in the moment and people’s memories before ending up in outdated photographs on the wall. That has since changed thanks to the rapid development of the internet, social networks, and mobile connectivity. Also, data storage evolved from videotapes to CDs/DVDs, affording manufacturers enhanced freedom for storing more data in the medium.
This development implied a reduced risk of damaged tapes, not to mention the smaller footprint of the storage materials.
With the advent of technology, smart home devices are going beyond mobile phones to other electronic gadgets like TV sets and speakers. This eliminates the need to visit cinemas when the need arises to watch blockbuster films or even one’s favorite series in full HD.
People can now enjoy quality surround sound systems from the comfort of their homes. Besides, video streaming is now possible thanks to smart home gadgets, which afford homeowners access to documentaries, musicals, and films.
5. Simplifying Household Chores
While home appliances like vacuum cleaners and washing machines were available since time immemorial, they can’t compare to the newly improved smart devices in the modern era. For instance, drying clothes is now a whole lot easier thanks to automatic washing machines that come fitted with a dryer.
With the advent of cordless vacuum cleaners, homeowners no longer need to use the cumbersome corded appliances that are also relatively noisier.
Smart devices have also simplified the process of pressing clothes; people no longer require using a flat iron desk as it’s now possible to simply hang the outfits and subsequently press them.
6. Enhanced Mechanical Experience
The rapid advancement in technology has seen scientists and engineers convert robotics and artificial intelligence from fiction to reality. In spite of the absence of human-like robots similar to those depicted in action movies, people are experiencing the impact of intelligent machines in their daily lives.
For instance, advanced drones that are used for tracking and surveillance purposes. Technology is clearly the mother of sophisticated machines with a capacity to work with nominal human involvement.
It’s through technology that engineers created driver-less vehicles, which are clearly designed to simplify people’s lives.
7. Access to Virtual Books
With advanced technology, book enthusiasts can now access multiple reading materials without having to deal with crumpled pages. It’s now easy to compile a manifold of books in a single tablet or e-book.
This not only allows homeowners to save the space they’d otherwise utilize storing books but also affords them the luxury of accessing numerous reading materials on one gadget.
Modern tablets have the capacity to store different e-books and chronologically organizing them or even classifying them on the basis of topics.
8. Enhanced Gaming Experience
The internet of things (IoT) has literally elevated gaming to a whole new level. Thanks to the availability of a variety of gaming consoles, homeowners can now access their favorite games from the comfort of their homes. Gone are the days when one needed to visit the arcade just to play their favorite game; they merely require setting up their game room back at home and relish gaming all day long.
Playing with virtual friends is now possible through the internet, which eradicates the need to get a physical playmate.
9. The Luxury of Voice Commands
With smart home devices, people no longer need to hire personal assistants to remind them about household chores requiring executing. Homeowners are increasingly using smartphones and smart speakers that adhere to their voice commands to call people set the alarm, and look up information among other chores.
Also, advanced technology has over time eliminating the need to use remote controls by replacing them with voice commands. This renders the task of getting the speakers, lights, and TV on and off a whole lot easier.
For this purpose, the user is simply required to speak up a command towards their smart device. For instance, one may instruct Alexa to turn the volume up through a voice command.
10. Improved Temperature Control and Comfort
With smart thermostats featuring inbuilt WiFi for controlling, monitoring and scheduling temperature within a house, enhancing the comfort of the home’s occupants becomes child play.
These devices are designed to detect the preference and behavior of the home’s dwellers and automatically adjust the temperature accordingly, providing them with excellent ambient conditions for enhanced well-being. The best part is that these devices can be controlled from anywhere.
11. Enhanced Communication
Communication is among the most important spheres of life that have received a revolution with the advent of technology. Keeping in touch and transferring messages is now easier thanks to the inception of the internet.
Nowadays, sharing pictures, videos and messages is pure bliss, which is attributable to social networks like Facebook, Twitter, and Skype to mention a few.
With enhanced communication, families can stay united in spite of living far apart. While technology can never replace real hugs and kisses, it goes a long way in allowing family members to see and hear each other from a distance, even when they reside continents apart. This way, families can share feelings like love and give each other support when the need arises.
12. Fortified Home Security
With the advent of security cameras, smart locks and video doorbells, keeping a home safe and free from unwanted visitors has never been easier.
Homeowners can now rest easy knowing that their homes are secure, irrespective of their forgetting to lock the doors on their way out. This is because the doors to a home can now be locked remotely from anywhere with a mere click on a smartphone.
In the event of an intrusion, homeowners can count on smart alarm systems that will send them a notification regarding the same. This affords them ample time to notify the police for prompt apprehension of the offenders.
13. Improved Cost Effectiveness
Unlike years ago where home automation systems were reserved for the opulent, smart devices like iPads and smartphones are now an integral component of home construction and renovations.
Homeowners are increasingly taking advantage of the control and lowering household bills associated with home automation systems.
In light of the ever-rising energy prices, homeowners can regulate their HVAC and lighting expenses through automation, which will go a long way in reducing the monthly bill and harmful emissions.
The majority of smart devices connected to a home are designed to mitigate energy wastage. For instance, motion sensors will only turn on the lights, AC, or thermostat upon detecting the presence of people in a room. These automated devices will also shut down when people vacate the room, implying reduced wastage of resources.
Automated devices take care of taps that would otherwise be left running in addition to dimming the lights and reducing the operation of fans/ac when the home’s occupants are asleep.
14. Improved Food-Growing Efficiency
There is more to growing food than merely placing a meal on a plate; producing high-quality products bears a huge impact on people’s health and the economy. By revolutionizing the manner in which people grow crops and leading to the production of healthier food products, technology plays an integral role in changing their lives for the better.
The impact of the internet of things on food technology doesn’t end with maximizing production. It also comes in handy in the form of irrigation and crop yield monitoring technologies.
Farmers are now using tech systems to collect data from the soil content in a bid to mitigate water wastage.
The evolvement of biotechnology led to the birth of genetically modified organisms (GMO), which boast greater pesticide resistance and herbicide resistance in addition to improved nutritional value.
Thanks to their ability to withstand harsh environmental conditions, as well as pests and diseases, genetically engineered crops, grow rapidly, allowing farmers to get their return on investment expediently.
Large scale farmers are increasingly taking advantage of drones to monitor the farm’s productivity. With drones, it’s pretty easy to locate a diseased or damaged plant precisely. Such drones also come in handy when looking to release an accurate amount of fertilizer or pesticides. The end result is an optimally productive farm and ultimately a healthy population.
15. Enhanced Convenience and Efficiency
Overall, smart homes are designed to create a comfortable living environment. With automated home devices, tedious household chores are rendered easy and fun in addition to saving the homeowner a lot of time.
Homeowners can now start their dishwashers or washing machines remotely from work. Thus, by the time they get home, they’ll find their dishes and clothes washed.
It’s also easy to cool or warm a house by remotely controlling the AC and thermostat while away from home. This affords the homeowner the luxury of going home to a comfortable environment featuring perfect ambiance for enhanced relaxation.
16. Improved Learning and Education
With the emergence of e-learning modules coupled with online training opportunities, education is no longer restricted to a four-walled institution. Learning is now a whole lot easier thanks to the availability of online schools, e-learning programs, automated portals, and online educational content.
E-Learning portals allow students to learn from the comfort of their homes without traveling across the globe.
Technology has paved a way for taking webinar courses and consequently attaining a degree online. What better way to maintain a close-knit family that’s not divided by distance while also getting a quality education?
17. Improved Home Surveillance
Working parents no longer need to worry about their infants or elderly parents thanks to the introduction of smart surveillance systems. A lot of homeowners are installing& cameras in their property in a bid to keep watch over their loved ones and monitor their movements and activities all day long.
Smart devices will also come in handy when looking to remind the elderly about simple chores like taking their medicine, turning off the lights or shutting off the taps.
This is besides alerting homeowners in the event of an emergency, for instance, when an older adult falls down the stairs and requires being taken to the ER.
Adverse Effects of Technology on Lives
While technology boasts a lot of benefits for the larger population, it would be unwise to rely on it excessively.
Sometimes, technological advancements will do more harm than good as discussed below:
1. Negative Impact on Fitness and Health
Being surrounded by smart home devices could ultimately prove to be hazardous to the home dwellers’ health. For instance, staring at the computer or mobile phone all day might lead to severe eyesight problems. Also, listening to blasting music or wearing headphones continuously can result in hearing problems or even hearing loss.
Perhaps the most dangerous effect of technology is obesity. Addiction to TVs or computer games makes people consume a lot of snacks and stay awake for too many hours. As a result, they become obese and thus predisposing them to serious health problems like cardiovascular issues, diabetes as well as bone and joint disease.
It’s also not unusual to find people becoming overweight because they can’t stop working online, and hence they’re constantly behind their computer screens. Spending too much time indoors rather than doing something outside makes it impossible to keep fit. With more people performing their work indoors particularly online, it’s not a wonder to see the obese percentage of people hitting the roof.
Also, when a person sits for a prolonged period behind a desk, their blood circulation becomes poor, not to mention developing neck and head pains. Moreover, sitting on a couch or a desk for too long results in a curved backbone, giving the victim bad posture. Also, smart gadgets can cause tendonitis in the thumbs. This results from the repeated use of thumbs to push buttons when playing video games.
2. Poor Perception of Reality
Most people keep their devices either in their hands or within reach, which might make them forget living in real-time. In fact, a lot of people cannot imagine going on a vacation without their smartphones lest they miss out on listening to their favorite music, reading their news feeds or even chatting with friends.
It’s quite hard to see someone leaving their laptop behind because they need to stay connected to their work or studies. People find this device to be indispensable when it comes to checking on the latest updates or replying to emails, even when they’re not urgent.
Over-reliance on smart gadgets could detrimentally affect a person’s ability to connect with the people who are physically present in their immediate surroundings or even dealing with issues occurring around them.
3. Poor Mental Health
Issues with human mental health are among the most dramatic impacts of modern technology. Generally, poor mental health is caused by sleep deprivation, which results from the excessive use of computers, smartphones, tablets, and Televisions.
Whether someone is surfing the internet, playing video games or chatting with their friends excessively, the chances are that these activities are preventing them from getting sufficient sleep. The glow emitted by screens suppresses the production of melatonin—the hormone that controls people’s circadian rhythm.
Sleep deprivation ultimately dampens brain cells activity and as a result, the affected people become unproductive and may begin to suffer from stress, depression and even anxiety.Besides causing sleep deprivation, some techno components like video games, movies, and social media can cause addiction. In turn, the addiction could adversely affect a person’s social life and crash family bonds, which could lead to loneliness or even stress.
Among the worst type of addiction is Chronic Smartphone Stress, which is basically caused by constant anticipation of notifications, messages or email replies. In general, internet overuse, social comparison, excessive information, and exaggerated online presence are the main factors that trigger depression and anxiety.
4. Poor Child Development
While technology has generally improved human life, it has brought some unfortunate effects on children. Sadly, small children, some as young as two, spend a lot of time watching cartoons and animations or even playing games on tablets and cell phones.
While this keeps them entertained, most parents fail to monitor and control the amount of time their children are spending on these devices. This is quite problematic as it may lead to addiction and a sedentary lifestyle among kids.
Moreover, the overuse of these electronic devices impairs the development of a child’s social skills, which includes the ability to communicate and make friends, control emotions, follow verbal directions, develop empathy for their peers or learn basic tasks. A child who spends too much time indoors playing video games or watching TV may also develop anxiety because of poor communication skills.
Besides the negative impact on a child’s social skills, the overuse of electrical devices may also affect their mental health. Children who sign up on social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter at an early age have a high chance of developing psychological issues like aggression, depression, anxiety, narcissism, mania paranoia, and antisocial behavior.
Many kids who are used to spending most of their time indoors watching TV, playing video games or chatting via their phones are more likely to feel bored while at school. This may, in turn, make them develop hatred for school and learning, which is detrimental to their education.
The Bottom Line
With established and legitimate companies like Samsung and Google spearheading the smart home movement, it’s quite apparent that technology is here to stay. The modern society is increasingly pursuing smart devices and for a good reason. A smart life promises a better life that’s less stressful, more luxurious, more connected and ultimately, more complete.
Technology is now so rooted in our lives that most people can hardly go without it. In fact, some users can suffersevere anxiety if they’re denied the opportunity to stay technologically connected and for a good reason; technology has taken over people’s personal and professional lives.
Nevertheless, technology is more beneficial than damaging; it’s poised to continue impacting positively on people’s lives. It has rendered life a whole lot easier by making homes more comfortable and healthier for living. Technology is conclusively an integral part of our lives and as it continues to develop, our future appears to be even more promising and exciting.