Our Techie World

      There’s no better marker for human progress than innovation and advancement in the field of technology. From the first computer the size of an entire room to mini tablets that fit in pockets, mankind has transformed the structure, functioning, and design of technology. In fact, the change is so grand that what is considered modern today has barely any connections at all to what it was ‘back then’. However, the question remains: “What is technology?” Some argue it is purely the electronics. Others believe it is simply the tools people use; it doesn't have to have wiring or on/off switches. Yet, another group would suggest a dictionary based definition: “the branch of knowledge dealing with engineering or applied sciences.” Thus, this definition would be focusing more on the educational aspect of learning, not physical materials.
      All definitions seem true, yet the most prominent one is the ‘stuff’. People, in general, define things with observation or personal experience. A majority would instantly imagine a cell phone, a laptop, or an Apple product when hearing the word ‘technology’. Not surprisingly, no one would think of the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer (ENIAC), the first computer. This only reveals the amazing process and journey the technology field has undergone physically and visually. As I sit here, using a Microsoft Works Word Processor, I too realize that the image and the ease with which one can use modern technology is severely different from the antique computers that had to have programs encoded for every action. If it was presented to a child in these times, would he even consider it a computer? The Apple company has revolutionized our depiction of electronics. Limitations have been broken with touch-screens, air connectivity (e.g. Air Printers), and multi-functioning tools that are part of our everyday lives. Design, simple but stylish, has had a tremendous impact as well.
      Image and design can, however, be used when describing the ‘simple tools’ technology, the products not requiring electrical engineering. Objects like mechanical pencils, shoes, building material, paper, cleaning liquids, and microscopes all have one thing in common. They are, in one way or another, a technology of the modern day. None of these, however, use complicated electrical circuits, or run electricity (considering that the microscope is not battery powered). Invention is founded from desire and necessity. Being invented in 105 A.D. (paper) or in the 1590’s (microscope) does not change anything; they are still considered a technology created by humans, and will remain so for eternity. Therefore, this definition argues that anything man made, can be considered a technology.
      Besides actual products and materials themselves, a more philosophical approach explains that technology is the knowledge. It is the progress, the calculation, the experiments, and the understanding that define technology. The physical objects are simply an embodiment of the mental concepts. Under this definition, the change from mental to physical technology, or the application for practical purposes, can be included as well. People describe technology to be only what they can see and use, yet it is limitless. Anything concerning human involvement becomes affiliated with technology.
      All day, everyday, and everywhere we see it, we use it. Society has become dependent on modern technologies, like cell phones, and takes older technologies, like paper, for granted without giving it a single thought. The cumulative effort in creating technology throughout history has created such an enormous mass of information and data that individuals do not acknowledge the fact that it surrounds them in every situation. I ask myself again: “What is technology?” It is everything mankind has created!