Introduction: Today, the US tech blog Business Insider wrote an article listing 15 ways technology has changed society. Smartphones, driverless cars, Google Glass, and the Internet have all become major forces for social change.
The full text of the article is as follows:
Technology has the potential to greatly change our way of life, and even the way people communicate with each other.
Technologies like 3D printing have already changed manufacturing, allowing ordinary people to participate in creative industries. Mobile apps have changed our shopping habits, and mobile commerce accounts for up to 20% of e-commerce activities. Nanofiltration has changed how we drink water. Meanwhile, Google Glass has brought the relationship between humans and the Internet closer than ever before.
Here are 15 ways technology has changed society:
1. Driverless cars change the way we travel
Google's driverless cars have already hit the road in California, where the company is testing this project. However, they won't be available on the market until 2018. Every year, 1.2 million people die in traffic accidents, and Google estimates that driverless cars could reduce this number by half.
Whether society is ready or still watching, driverless cars will become an option. Toyota and Audi are also developing their own driverless cars.
2. Google Glass turns us into cyborgs
Google Glass is one of the most exciting products from Google in the short term, because this product is significant.
Google Glass will make daily life closer to our senses and enhance our interaction with the world around us. Our connection to the Internet will be tighter than ever before, and we can overlay text messages, news, Twitter updates, and navigation information onto real-world scenes.
With Google Glass, we can also record various information and store it in the cloud. This way, we can ensure that we don't forget any moment in life.
3. Wearable fitness trackers improve health
Through applications and services like Nike FuelBand, Fitbit, and ZEO, more data is being generated in our daily lives. These devices can help us track calorie consumption, steps taken, and even sleep patterns.
These devices are part of the quantified self movement, which aims to enhance our understanding of ourselves through our own data, telling us various information about our bodies and previously unclear biological data.
4. The Internet promotes sharing economy activities
A series of startups have emerged in the sharing economy sector, helping people rent out their houses, cars, parking spaces, tents, and more.
Airbnb can rent out houses, Rent the Runway allows us to temporarily own luxurious clothing and jewelry, SideCar provides immediate carpooling services, and similar products are countless.
But none of this would be possible without the Internet acting as a mediator, nor would it be so convenient.
5. Robots change the labor market
Many affordable industrial robots are gradually emerging in the US market, capable of performing many simple tasks and working alongside human employees.
For example, Baxter, the first robot from Rethink Robotics, can handle various materials, place items on or take them off conveyor belts, detect parts, operate equipment calmly, and even pack or unpack goods.
Rethink Robotics hopes to enhance America's competitiveness by creating cost-effective manufacturing technologies and processes. If everything goes according to plan, Baxter will be able to work alongside human employees and help the US better deal with the impact of low-wage overseas markets.
Baxter's ultimate goal is to perform more complex tasks, such as assembling components on electronics production lines. The company is also developing software to enable Baxter to exchange information with conveyor belts or other equipment.
6. Smartphones lead to overconnection
Smartphones are extremely useful tools that allow us to understand the world around us anytime, anywhere. Through smartphones, we can check emails, news, stock prices at any time. As long as there is a signal, mobile maps ensure we never get lost. Meanwhile, dating apps like Tinder and Grindr help us meet new friends around us.
However, the frequency with which we check our phones is somewhat worrying. According to recent research from IDC, 79% of users check their smartphones within 15 minutes of waking up, 48% use smartphones while exercising, and 50% use smartphones to check Facebook in theaters.
Text messaging is becoming increasingly popular, so we are communicating less verbally and more through text.
7. Social networks change human-machine interaction
Facebook and Twitter provide platforms for us to stay in touch with friends, helping us stay updated on the movements of loved ones and even strangers anytime, anywhere. At the same time, social media is driving social activities, as it facilitates people with similar goals coming together.
8. 3D printing reshapes production methods and enhances creativity
3D printing allows ordinary people access to the manufacturing industry and has even driven major breakthroughs in the medical field. Just this month, a 3D printer printed the world's thinnest human liver.
3D printers can print objects point by point in 3D space. Thanks to companies like MakerBot, Printrbot, and Shapeways, affordable 3D printers are even starting to enter regular households.
3D printing has even created a market dedicated to selling 3D-printed objects. Thanks to this technology, we have a whole new way to produce and consume products.
9. Nanofiltration technology helps people produce and drink clean water
Unclean water poses a huge threat to health. According to statistics from the World Health Organization, about 3.4 million people die each year from water-related diseases. Lifesaver was developed to solve this problem. This bottle uses nanofiltration technology to purify water. It can remove bacteria, viruses, cysts, parasites, fungi, and other waterborne pathogens.
10. Gesture control devices awaken our senses and strengthen collaboration
The computer mouse is getting a bit outdated. A series of recent technologies allow you to control computers just by waving your hands. Leap Motion allows you to better shape your ideas on the screen using natural gestures.
MYO, developed by Thalmic Labs, is a sleeve that controls multiple devices through its own motion. Unlike Leap Motion, this technology does not use cameras but instead controls computers, games, and even drones by sensing muscle electrical activity.
11. Touchscreen devices and WiFi networks in underground transportation systems significantly improve travel convenience
New York City plans to install at least 77 new touch query machines in subway stations across five districts. These new devices will include subway planning tools and provide the latest subway train information and delay notifications, and of course, play advertisements.
Each screen is 47 inches, equipped with sensors, video cameras, microphones, and WiFi networks, allowing information transmission between subway drivers and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) of Greater New York. In the future, streaming media and gaming entertainment content may also be introduced.
At the same time, New York is deploying WiFi networks in subway stations to facilitate passengers surfing the Internet and making calls while waiting for trains. The San Francisco Bay Area has gone further, allowing users to access mobile networks on subway trains, and free WiFi may soon be introduced.
12. iPads and mobile phones change the retail experience
Once upon a time, our interactions in retail stores were entirely dependent on human beings. But now, companies like Apple have started a new model where the entire process from payment to leaving the store doesn't require interacting with anyone.
Apple retail stores are often crowded, making it difficult to find a clerk to check out. In such cases, the EasyPay app allows users to check out themselves for items like chargers, cases, and software.
The rise of tablets has also reshaped the retail experience, with many physical retailers using tablets to handle checkout transactions. For example, the mobile payment startup Square completely changes the traditional checkout mode. Its card reader and Register app allow merchants to accept credit card and debit card payments via iPhone, iPad, and Android devices.
13. Smartphone apps bring convenience but also make us lazier
It's hard to imagine the impact apps have had on society. Apple claims there's an app for everything, which isn't exaggerated and is actually true.
Tech companies are constantly developing new apps to ensure our lives are more convenient. Fantastical is one of the best calendar apps; Evernote allows note-taking anywhere and is compatible with multiple platforms; Uber makes it easy to call a taxi whenever you need.
But these apps also make people lazier and lead to unnecessary expenses. With food delivery services like Seamless, theoretically, you no longer have to leave home to enjoy various delicacies. Grocery delivery apps like FreshDirect have a similar effect.
14. Photo-sharing websites change privacy concepts
Facebook and Instagram have jointly spawned an over-sharing economic phenomenon: we always like to post pictures of ourselves and our friends, whether it's during meals or running naked on a private beach.
When we choose to use products like Facebook, Instagram, and Flickr, we tend to forget about personal information, and many people overlook the fact that once posted, this information will remain online forever.
Self-destructing photo-sharing apps like Snapchat partially address this issue. However, these disappearing pictures can still be seen by unexpected individuals.
15. Drones are becoming widespread
The use of drones by governments and law enforcement agencies has raised privacy concerns, but some believe there's no need to worry. Moreover, the advent of smartphones has brought many advanced technologies, such as gyroscopes, accelerometers, GPS, and powerful processors, making cheap drones possible.
People have already started using drones to find survivors in rescue operations, photograph homes and other assets, and conduct archaeological studies in Africa.
In addition, companies like FedEx are waiting for commercial drones to be legalized. The Federal Aviation Administration will start allowing commercial use of drones from 2015, but drones must fly no higher than 400 feet (about 122 meters) above ground and maintain a distance of at least 5 miles (about 8 kilometers) from airports.