Advancement and its Shock
No doubt, advances in science and technology have made our life comfortable in many ways unthinkable, but it has come with a cost much dearer to pay. We are now confronted with the aftershocks of this advancement, capsuled in progress and convenience, in particular, of artificial intelligence, genetic engineering and and nanotechnology.
Ours a few-centimetres mind-space is invaded from all sides and it is /has been tattooed with fledged capitalism, ontogeny of advertising marketing and involvement of materialistic crave and craze. Our souls have been corrupted. hearts maligned, minds shagged and our social and family life trounced and dismantled.
Unlike the dustbins in our courtyards, that we see and dust them off to municipality vans, our dustbins in mind though invisible, we keep and ferry them along. The whole universe of our individuality is eviscerated off its purity, originality and creativeness and we are - like a corpse shouldering and walking along and living by with murkier and sterilized social and moral setting.
Our homes are inundated and suffused with heartlessness and apathy for each other. Slowly but steadily, our family structure is getting decimated due to this advancement in different fields and producing shock and aftershock for us.
There is not a single place left we can hide from its ferocious tentacles and we ought to be convinced that all iniquity which has swathed us is all due to our own actions and quest for advancement and progress.
The most Ferocious Shock which we combated was when the prominent Newspaper, Indian Express reported on 28th of July, 2023 that “A couple from West Bengal sold their eight-month-old baby to buy an iPhone 14, it has emerged. What is even more appalling is that they bought the iPhone to shoot Instagram reels of their travels.”
As it turns now, we are becoming only robots in its clutches and hypnotized in every field of our life. A day is not far away when we will be a world of blind and will laugh or stone them away who still have eyes of nature and yelling on our becoming slaves to machines. Are we running close to meet the fate of Icarus , the figure from Greek mythology who flew too close to the sun and perished?
The Book “Future Shock,” by Alvin Toffler, serves as a flare for enlightening the complexities of our rapidly evolving world. Originally published in 1970, its insights continue to resonate powerfully in contemporary discourse. Alvin Toffler’s assessment of the accelerating pace of change in science and technology, Artificial Intelligence, Internet, Computers, Robots, Media, Genetic Engineering etc, and its profound impact on individuals, societies, and institutions offers a persuasive elucidation through which one, at this time even, understands the challenges and opportunities of the modern era.
In our times, life is changing so fast that we no longer know how to act. Alvin Toffler says, “We no longer “feel” life as men did in the past.” And this is the ultimate difference, the distinction that separates the truly contemporary man from all other; and again, we have cut ourselves off from the old ways of thinking, of feeling and of adapting and holding on to values.
Advancement in science and technology is inevitable and inescapable and we have to live with it. Those who would be opaque to these things will perish in the human race and competition and there is need to balance the things and find and adopt moderation in all executions of things.
In fact, we have to redefine and rediscover our approach and use of it, especially, the educational technology right from the basic level to make our progeny sentient about the pros and cons of progress and the modern advancement.
The rapid advancement of technologies such as nanotechnology, artificial intelligence, genetic engineering and other technologies have revolutionised the world and have remodelled every aspect known to mankind. While, everyone recognises its role in betterment of life, there are some concerns also about its potential challenges that may arise in the future.
With the dismantling of traditional structures like the family unit and the shift towards individualistic value systems, the nature of future problems is expected to be complex and multifaceted.
There is no doubt that in the modern era, technology emerges as a formidable source of social change. From the dawn of the internet to the rise of artificial intelligence, technological innovations indicate a new way how we connect, work, and perceive the reality.
The digital revolution, in particular, has dismantled geographical barriers, fostering a globalized society with unprecedented inter connectivity. The explosion of smart phones and social media platforms has overflowed information, empowering us to form narratives and challenge power centres.
The new scientific spread at the same time has caused environmental concerns, giving rise to complex problems in nature and our surroundings, putting us into a dazed situation. Budding technologies, like industrial robots, artificial intelligence, and machine learning, are advancing at a rapid pace. These developments can improve the speed, quality, and cost of goods and services, but they also displace large numbers of workers.
We need to think about how to deliver benefits to displaced workers. If automation makes jobs less secure in the future, there is a need to take care of unemployment caused. The restaurants and hotel industry has been a great source for providing job opportunities to a huge number of unemployed people but this industry has /are likely to use technology to remove humans from parts of food delivery.
Some places, for example, are using tablets that allow customers to order directly from the kitchen with no requirement of talking to a waiter or waitress. Others enable people to pay directly, obviating the need for cashiers. If we render many people unemployed for a significant period of time, we need a way to provide health care, disability, and pension benefits to such human lot.
In today’s rapidly evolving world, concerns about moral decay have become increasingly common. Many observers argue that our society is experiencing a decline in ethical values, leading to harmful consequences for individuals and communities.
Moral decay may cause falling apart of ethical principles, values, and social norms within a society and may manifest in various forms, such as the breakdown of trust, a decline in empathy and compassion, a disregard for honesty and integrity, and a lack of accountability.
Although technological advancements have brought a wave of positive changes across various aspects of life but there are many ways where from technology has downbeat impact on the social fabric. By being mindful of these challenges and taking steps to promote meaningful interactions, we can leverage technology's potential for connection while safeguarding the social bonds that hold society together.
As society grapples with these technological advancements and societal changes, it becomes crucial to develop comprehensive awareness and combative strategies to pilot the expected problems that may arise.
This includes interdisciplinary education with social and ethical considerations, diverse public discourse, fostering emotional competence, promoting help-seeking intentions, and implementing sound management approach. And importantly, to have educational programs to focus on increasing awareness among students about the dangers that are waiting in the bush like a wolf.
We and our posterity ought to be aware not only of the bliss but also of the onslaught of the modern advancement.
