Most people can’t imagine their life without technology. Computers have helped to make people’s lives more time-saving and convenient. The majority of people use computers to communicate, access information, improve the speed and accuracy of various tasks, store lots of data and information, entertain them, and socialize. What people may not realize is that there are seemingly unknown evils to these technologies.
Using computers can put a person at great risk for their well-being and privacy. Most people do not take into account that computers, and everything that go along with them, come at a great financial cost—not only initially, but also to keep them updated, maintained, and repaired. Even with the best protection on the market, there is risk for theft of personal information, or at the very least, damage, corruption, or loss of personal data; such as photos, music, financial information, and documents. All these things can be gone in the blink of an eye due to some hacker that enjoys messing up people’s lives. Also, everything a person does on an internet-connected computer can be tracked. I myself recently did a search for party supplies online. Now, every time I open a web page there are advertisements for party supply stores. All of our likes and dislikes, shopping habits, and demographics are being used to essentially herd us like sheep; soon, or perhaps already, businesses will be telling us what we like and not the other way around.
There is also the well-being factor to consider. Use of the computer has diminished real socialization and a sense of community. Chatting with someone online is not the same as in person. People do not even have to leave their homes to get groceries if they do not want to—they can be ordered online and delivered, for a small fee of course, along with almost anything else a person would want. There is now a risk for addiction to computers, a risk of increased stress, and less physical activity; all of which can lead to all sorts of health problems. For these reasons and more, everyday users of computers are the losers when it comes to computer technology.
So, if everyday users are the losers, who then are the winners? Well that would be the herders themselves—big businesses; especially businesses in the technology industry. Every single business today is so dependent on computer technology, and all that comes along with it,