The Impact of Technology on Society - Research Paper Example

The Impact of Technology on Society al Affiliation The late 19th century and early 20th century saw one of the greatest inventions known to man: the automobile. The automobile refers to a wheel mode of transportation that autonomously moves on its own from the combustion of fuel. The following article examines the society before this invention in comparison to the state of the society in the period after and its impacts on health and environment. Automobile production boosted the economy, enhanced political cohesion and facilitated the establishment of a strong political hold by countries over their countries. In health and welfare, it has facilitated faster access to health services and access to social provisions such as education and employment. The building of roads has resulted in a change in the environmental landscape, acting as a factor for urbanisation and industrialisation. However, the invention has led to an increase in pollution levels that has had health as well as environmental implications. There is a need for current technology to incorporate more safety and environment-friendly elements in the automotive production. The Impact of Technology on Society The automobile is a term used to refer to a machine that self-powers itself to move and transport people and items from one point to another. The automobile is perhaps the greatest invention known to humanity having both positive and negative impacts. The following paper seeks to explore the effects of this technological invention in the society comprehensively. The study will briefly incorporate a description of automobile use and then perceive the state of the world before the existence of the automobile and how it was with its advent and the period after that. It will also look at its impacts as regards health, welfare and the environment. In the backdrop of these results, it will offer suggestions on how engineering should be practiced. Description of the Technology The automobile came after a series of inventions done by scientists in most of the 19th and the 20th century. It works by a system of an internal combustion engine that propels its wheel to move on the road (National Academy of Engineering, 2015). The term automobile was coined in the 19the century describing its self-driving capability. The designs range from those accommodating as few as two people to more than five. It is designed to be used on the land surface. The Functioning Of the Society before Automobile Invention Before the advent of the automobile, the transport industry was mainly characterised by physical walking, horses and carriages. At this early age, transportation formed a small part of the major economic ventures and businesses (Parissien, 2014). The primary means of livelihood was agriculture in most countries including the United States. Correspondingly, economic growth was stalled as produce could not get to consumers in time for business purposes (Parissien, 2014). In the social perspective, there was a less cohesive structure since it took significantly longer for people to reach each other across longer distances. In the context of recreation, racing was mainly dominated by horse racing and carriage racing. Sports events were primarily small-scale in nature (National Academy of Engineering, 2015). The streets were safer since the incidence of accidents that came with the widespread use of cars was basically non-existent. However, it is imperative to note that services such as health were significantly curtailed due to slow transportation The slower means of transportation was an impeding factor for the political system as well as the government. The politicians had fewer chances of physically championing their messages and had to rely on the existing tools of communication that were existent at that time (National Academy of Engineering, 2015). The government could not effectively provide its services to its people. Consequently, it took time for the social, health and welfare programs to be implemented. Functioning of the Society after the Advent of Technology There was an economic boom in the 1910s and during the First World War after the inception of mass production of automobiles (Parissien, 2014). The Ford Motor Company was the first such company to start mass production of cars. It was providing 13000 employment opportunities by 1913 (National Academy of Engineering, 2015).The transportation development enabled mass production of goods to be sold to a wider market and enhanced the industrial revolution (Parissien, 2014). Not-with-standing these direct effects, there were employment opportunities created by building roads and passages for vehicles. Social cohesion was enhanced. It provided an avenue for more people to meet and interact. Correspondingly, car racing and other car-related sports emerged that revolutionised recreation. Moreover, it became easier for people to access social and health services as well as education due to the larger scale of faster modes of transportation facilitated by the automobiles. However, there was also an emergence of social classes due to the unequal economic growth promoted by the acquisition of wealth by automobile manufacturers and dealers. Automobile accidents became a new social issue to contend with. Politically, the government’s ability to reach and provide services to the citizens was enhanced. In addition to the use of mass media of communication, automobile enabled the political aspirants to propagate their ideas physically to more people (National Academy of Engineering, 2015). Government decrees and programs were effectively disseminated and implemented with the developed transportation. The Impact of Automobile Development on Health and Welfare Automobile production revolutionised the health and welfare sector of many countries. Currently, it is significantly easier to access distant health services due to the wide availability of cars. Individuals can access emergency medical services by use of medical ambulances that are usually a phone call away (Parissien, 2014). For instance, most accident fatalities can be reduced when the patients access immediate health attention. Additionally, most ambulances possess ambulatory medical services for the patients. Personal ownership of cars enables people to reach health care facilities any time they are need of medical services (Parissien, 2014). For example in the event of sudden premature maternal labour, a family member or a friend can drive the patient to a hospital. The government can provide its medical services faster and easier using vehicles (Zachariadis, 2012). Employment opportunities for manufacturing cars and building roads have improved the living standards of many people. It is easier to access social services and support systems due to the advanced transportation. With the increase in the use of automobiles, there has been a corresponding rise in the number of accidents. There are about 50000 accidents in the United States alone every year (Zachariadis, 2012). Most families and societies have been destabilised by the loss of an individual. These could be a father, mother or a prominent leader in the community. Disability arising from the accidents impair an individual’s ability to provide for himself becoming a burden to his ambitions and the society (Zachariadis, 2012). His health might be impacted by negative feelings of depression. The use of leaded fuel has resulted in an increase in the incidences of certain diseases such as cancer and lead poisoning related conditions. Evaluation of the Impacts As regards the stated implications, a critical examination reveals that the positive effects outweigh the negative impacts. The negative impacts on health and welfare services are mostly a result of preventable actions by the individuals involved in that sector (Zachariadis, 2012). For instance, the occurrence of accidents and the impact regarding the rise of pollution-related conditions can be prevented by instituting relevant policies to curb them (Parissien, 2014). It is true that the absence of the automobiles would have resulted in the total non-existence of health-related adverse effects, so described (Zachariadis, 2012). However, to this end, one should note that similarly, there would be the cessation of faster and split second availability of health services provided by ambulatory services and access to medical services (Parissien, 2014). The resulting deaths would be similar to those caused by accidents and health related adverse effects of automobiles, if not more than them. Alternatives in this regard include the use of trains and bicycles for road transport and boats and ships for water (Zachariadis, 2012). However, these would not be as flexible, affordable and convenient as automobiles. The Impact of Automobiles on the Environment The positive effects of vehicles on the environment have been through both direct mechanisms as well as through acting as an accelerating factor. The impact of the automobiles was felt first in the rural regions where the vehicles were used for touring purposes and recreation (Parissien, 2014). It facilitated the conservation of many natural and wildlife parks. For instance, governments hired toured guides and provided them with the touring vehicles. This enhanced the global movement to preserve the wild and endangered species in the world (Parissien, 2014). The production of automobiles saw the increase in the construction of roads and development of infrastructure in both rural and urban areas that facilitated the development of cities and major towns changing the landscape permanently. Billboards advertising a variety of commodities for multiple companies were erected along major highways that resulted in massive sales. The streets and parking spaces created to accommodate the automobiles also enabled a better reorganisation of major cities that helped in reducing the congestion resulting from massive immigration and increases in population. The advent of the automobiles predated the increase in the levels of pollution (Zachariadis, 2012). The previous widespread use of leaded fuels was a critical environmental and health concern. The automobile exhausts contribute to more than half of the atmospheric pollutants in the major cities and towns (Zachariadis, 2012). Such environmental concerns include smog formation and increase in the levels of carbon dioxide emission. Other carbon compounds emitted include carbon monoxide, complex hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides. Tokyo has been cited as having one of the highest air pollution levels as a result of a vast number of vehicles and industries (Parissien, 2014). These substances have led to the increase of respiratory conditions such as lung cancer, and asthma. The development of roads has led to the encroachment of natural land including forests, agricultural land, and water bodies. For instance, land encroachment has driven agricultural land from the Los Angeles basin. These culminate in the death of many endangered plant and animal species as they are driven out of their natural habitat. Evaluation of the Impacts As regards the environmental impact, negative effects overwhelm the positive effectives. This comes after analysing the permanence of both impacts. Most of the adverse effects cannot be reversed. For example, currently, the carbon levels in the world are at an all-time high resulting in global warming a scientific phenomenon depicted by an increase in the earths average temperatures (Parissien, 2014). This is hardly reversible, and the only thing that can be done is to avert further increases in temperature. In addition to being hard to manage, cancerous conditions are expensive. The increase in the cancer incidences has followed an increase in the pollution levels (Parissien, 2014). It follows that if automobiles did not exist, there will be lower pollution levels and less developed transport infrastructure hence less negative health implications and environmental conservation. Relevant alternatives in this regard include the use of different designs of automobiles such as electric and hydrogen-powered vehicles. These do not pose the risk of environmental pollution and hence fewer health implications. One can also consider different transport alternatives such as water vessels and bicycles but these are considerably slower. Suggestions for Engineering Practice The impacts of automobiles on health, welfare and the environment necessitate significant improvement in automotive production engineering. Automobiles cannot be done away with because of their established importance in modern society (Parissien, 2014). There is a need to incorporate changes that would accommodate use environment-friendly fuels such as the use of lead-free fuels. There is also need to include more safety changes in addition to the handbrakes, safety belts and other safety elements. For example, inventions like the airbag (National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Act of 1966) has been an important improvement in reducing fatalities occurring in accidents (Parissien, 2014). This implies that automotive production engineering should focus more on incorporating changes that would enhance the safety and the environmental-friendliness of vehicles. Conclusion Automobiles are one of man’s greatest inventions. They have revolutionised movement from one location to another bridging places that would have been impossible to bridge. The positive impacts of automobiles include enhancing transportation of people and business goods and services thus increasing economic growth. It has facilitated easier access to health care facilities through the ambulatory services. There has also been an improvement in the transportation infrastructure. On the negative side, pollution levels have increased, and adverse health effects have resulted from the inhalation of emitted pollutants. Although the technology has its negative impacts, it would be more logical to work on getting rid of the negative consequences instead of doing away with the technology altogether. References National Academy of Engineering. (2015). Greatest Engineering Achievements of the 20th Century. Automobile History. Retrieved from http://www.greatachievements.org/?id=3875 Parissien, S. (2014). The Life of the Automobile: The Complete History of the Motor Car. New York: Macmillan. Zachariadis, T. I. (2012). Cars and carbon: Automobiles and European climate policy in a global context. Dordrecht: Springer. Read More