Positive effects of technology on society

In the last twenty years the computer has changed the way we work, live, and communicate. This incredible form of technology is a major part in our society today. Social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace have made communicating with our peers more convenient than ever before. Websites like YouTube have made people overnight celebrities and the Internet as a whole has made our society run more efficiently. Overall I believe that the digital revolution brought upon by computers have made our society a better place.

As a college student the computer has benefited myself in many ways. When a professor assigns me a paper to write, my first instinct is to do research online. The reason being is that online I find a plethora of information regarding the topic of my paper. For example when I was formulating a paper on World War II, I looked online to find some information. With a simple Google search, I was able to find relevant information ranging from the beginning of the war to the end of the war. Google automatically found five to ten websites on World War II in a matter of seconds.

Some may point out that the information found online is not credible. However while this may be true, you can easily find credible sources by tweaking your search methods. Google has an advanced search preference where I can search for scholarly articles, newspaper editorials, and other credible sources. Not only was I able to find all the supplemental information I needed to write a paper, but it also saved me a lot of time. I remember the time when I conducted my research at the library. I would spend hours thumbing through pages of a book to find information.

Most of the time my research would come to little or no avail because I would never be able to find the information I was looking for. Sometimes the library didn’t even have the information I needed. Overall, the Internet has eliminated the inconvenience of doing researching at a library. Digital technology has also brought upon many career opportunities. YouTube is a video sharing website which allows people to post videos and share them with just about everybody in the world. YouTube has developed many personalities including Tom Dickinson.

Dickinson, the CEO of a blending machine company called BlendTec is famous on YouTube for promoting his powerful blender. In the YouTube videos, Dickinson blends everything from mp3 players to tablet pc’s inside his blender. These videos have generated millions of viewers and as a result BlendTec is one of the most successful companies in the market. YouTube has also started careers for many young aspirers like Marie Digby. Digby is an American singer and songwriter whose career picked up when she posted her acoustic cover version of “ umbrella” on YouTube.

Digby gained 17 million viewers for that video and she became an overnight celebrity. Within months of posting the video she received many offers from record label companies and she signed with Hollywood Records. With all the great career benefits of YouTube, it is also a great source of entertainment and knowledge. On YouTube I can see videos posted from people all over the world. For example on YouTube I watch videos on Indian music and Indian food. From watching hundreds of videos posted online I am now more familiar with the language and the food.

It has enriched my Indian culture and helped me trace my Indian roots. I’ve used the Internet to help me so many times that it has even saved my life. When I was in a remote village in India this past summer, I fell very ill and was not sure what was wrong with me. I checked with the local doctor and he prescribed me some medicine but I still was not feeling well. So I did some research online by typing some of my symptoms on a Google search and it automatically redirected me to a website called WebMD. On WebMD I was able to diagnose what was wrong with me and took the advice it gave me.

Within a few days of taking advise from WebMD I felt much better and recovered completely from my illness. The best part about the whole experience was that I avoided the costs of a doctor. I believe that online is a safer source than just seeing one doctor at an office because there are multiple doctors posting about a single issue. For example in my case I had a fever caused by mosquitoes and there were more than five doctors that posted advice on how to take care off the issue. In addition there were also other people who had a similar issue like mine and I was able to blog with hem on the WebMD website.

With the help of such websites even health has been positively effected. Even simple things like how to change a car battery or how to tie a tie, are found online. Some even look online to select what kind of teacher they want. In “ Grading Professors”, by Wendy Kim, Kim explains how the website Ratemyprofessors. com (RMP) influences her decision to pick a course in college. Kim claims ” RMP is full of useful information that can help students make informed decisions when it comes to choosing teachers and preparing for a class they are about to take”.

On RMP she can look at ratings of a professor based on easiness, helpfulness, and clarity. From these ratings she can rationally decide which professor in college to take. In fact even I have used this website to select professors. With the help of RMP I was able to select a teacher based on my preferences. The comments that users leave also helped me choose a teacher. For example when I was choosing my philosophy course, I had an option of two different professors. I looked on RMP and based on the user submitted information I chose the professor that matched my own preferences.

The ratings posted on RMP were exactly how the professor operated the class. Due to websites like RMP I’m always prepared to know what the professor wants and how they teach. Lastly communication has greatly improved due to social networking websites like Facebook. With over 500 million users on Facebook, communication with our peers has never been greater. A user can easily set up a profile in which their picture, interests, hobbies, and contact information is all included. With the help of such networking sites I have been able to stay in touch with friends and family from all over the world.

In fact I’ve been able to reconnect with some of my family due to Facebook. For instance, when I was casually using Facebook I came across a long time friend who I had not seen since middle school. I never had his contact information prior to Facebook because he had moved elsewhere and did not have a cell phone. I added him as a friend on Facebook and we were able to stay in touch because of that. Opponents of social networking sites may believe that sites like Facebook can be dangerous for it’s users because their profiles can be easily accessed.

However, Facebook has an option where a user can limit their profile so only their added friends are able to view it. This safety feature prevents any stranger to view a users profile without adding them as a friend. Social networking websites like Facebook is a safe and great way to keep in touch with our peers. The digital revolution has greatly benefited our society in many ways. Staying in touch with our peers through sites like Facebook has improved global communication. Due to the digital revolution we have become more efficient and better informed about the world around us.