Humans vs technology?

Is technology ruining our lives or are we doing this ourselves? Nowadays, more and more people are becoming aware of the ugly toll technology may be taking on us. We do not know yet how huge is the impact of spending 24/7 connected to our devices on our social life and relationships. There are even “digital detox” resorts where you can completely unplug: by disconnecting from your devices, you can reconnect with yourself and the world around you. But if you think about it, who creates technology? We, humans. If we create it, then we should take responsibility for the changes it provokes in everyday life and reflect upon the negative use we give to technology. All this without forgetting technology has also a positive side to consider. Technology itself cannot be regarded as an evil entity which aims at controlling our minds. Remember the blockbuster “I, Robot” with Will Smith? Our devices are far from having the power and independence to destroy us like those deadly robots try to do in the film: we are still able to choose when to switch off our laptop or when to disconnect from WiFi (even if some people do not consider it an option) Behind every technological development, there is a creator and then a user. Both of them are obviously humans: that is why humans are responsible for the technology we consume. Nonetheless, not only does technology not have the power to attack us, but it has solved our problems several times. Thanks to recent technological investigations, humanity has achieved amazing advances in the medical area. For example, a middle-aged woman who has spent most of her life unable to hear, now can get a micro-implant that would allow her to hear for the first time in decades. At the same time. many people get a second opportunity in life through robotically assisted heart surgeries. On the positive side of technology, once should also mention global communication: families and friends across great distances are able to communicate face to face at any time of the day just by opening a video chat, or an individual from South America can connect electronically with people from several different cultures living in the other extreme of the planet. It is safe to say the world has never been more interconnected. This information proves that humans do benefit a lot from technology when they give it a positive use. Having all these ideas in mind, the real problem with technology could be the wrong use we give to it. Some people use the internet to let off their steam and negative energy. They take advantage of the anonymity the web gives us and post the most vitriolic, hurtful, and malicious comments imaginable. These persons feel social apps are the place to express all the things they would never dare to say in person. The explanation may be that by doing this, they cannot see the emotional reaction of the receiver of the aggression. Therefore, haters do not have to deal with any consequences for their actions and become “emotional invisible”. Even if you do not have a hurtful intention behind your actions, you may use technology to avoid confrontation or taking responsibility in certain situations you do not feel comfortable with: it is much easier (but also cowardly) to ignore an email we do not want to answer than to ignore somebody who is making us a question in real life. To sum up, technology has many positive effects on human life that allow us to connect globally, live better and even longer. What may be “destroying” our lives is the negative use we give to technology that with time, is making us more aggressive and less and less empathic with others. Nevertheless, humans create technology so the responsibility for the consequences it has on our lives is only ours. It is easier to blame technology for everything and pity ourselves but it is not helpful at all. Maybe developers should stop and ask themselves “How could this change humanity?” before launching new products or devices. Ordinary users may also need to start taking responsibility and employ their good judgement when it comes to the use given to technology. After all, we are the “causers” of these new technological problems. So, don’t we have the power to solve them?