From the discovery of the wheel to digital printers and mp3 players, technology has touched every area of human life. It has the power to change our lives for the better, but also can have negative impacts, like pollution and resource depletion, as well as social harms such as technological unemployment. It is important to understand how technology works in order to design, implement and manage it effectively.
Techopedia Explains Technology
As a broad term, technology can be split into several categories based on the method of application, problems it solves and purposes it serves. For example, industrial automation is a form of technology that allows organizations to maximize output while minimizing labor and resources. It can also help to improve accuracy by removing the possibility of manual errors.
Other forms of technology can include the use of software to record and store information, such as a business database. Technology is also used in the education industry to create teaching materials and enhance student performance. Educational technologies can be as simple as an online learning platform that enables students to access educational and innovative materials. They can be as sophisticated as a computer game that helps to engage students and enliven difficult subjects.
The concept of appropriate technology was developed in the twentieth century to describe situations where it is not desirable to use very new or highly specialized technologies, e.g. because they would require access to centralized infrastructure or parts and skills imported from abroad. This has led to movements such as the eco-village.