Almost every element of modern life is impacted by technology, including productivity, socializing, food and healthcare access, and transportation efficiency and safety.
The power of the internet has facilitated the emergence of international communities and made it easier to exchange information and resources.
However, excessive usage of particular technologies has been connected to societal divide, a loss in mental health, and privacy issues.
Even when it instantly provides us with the most recent news, makes our coffee, or allows us to contact with a loved one who is located halfway across the nation, we regularly take technology for granted (or even the world).
Which modern inventions are the ones we can’t imagine living without in the real world?
Has the coronavirus pandemic increased our dependence on technology or given us the means to overcome the difficulties of the year?
We examine the seven most significant ways that technology has changed our lives recently.
- Improved Communication
I need to see you, Watson, so come on in.
It’s safe to say that the dependable telephone has had a good run since Alexander Graham Bell spoke these first words over his groundbreaking invention in 1876.
Bell’s original vision was for there to be “one in every community.”
Of course, he was correct; in actuality, everyone now carries one in their pocket.
However, thanks to technology, messaging and social media have supplanted the classic voice call as a method of staying in touch.
Video calling is a different media that has experienced a rise in recent years.
Although the idea is not very novel—it has existed for roughly as long as Bell’s telephone—the advent of high-speed broadband at reasonable costs has made it much simpler to send and receive the quantities of data required for a video chat.
While video calling has been gradually integrating into daily life over the past ten years, the current pandemic has pushed it over the edge and guaranteed its future as a commonplace means of communication.
Families and friends are connecting and socializing via video call more frequently than ever before because of lockdowns and social withdrawal.
Even though there are several alternative video conferencing apps available, Zoom has emerged as the public’s go-to example of video chat. If you hadn’t heard of Zoom before 2020, you have most likely heard of it by now.
This is supported by the company’s astounding assertion that there were 300 million “daily participants” early this year, up from “only” 10 million in December 2019.
Video calls have changed more than simply social interactions, too.
Due to the pandemic, more people than ever are working from home, and video conferencing has replaced in-person meetings as office personnel now meets in bedrooms instead of boardrooms (or wherever else they can find space to work at home).
Zoom is a terrific tool for meeting up with friends, but can it serve your company during the pandemic?
We’ve examined a number of well-known video conferencing platforms and can assist you in choosing the best one for your business in a matter of minutes.
2. Decreased Privacy
More of our lives than ever are being spent online.
Americans spend six and a half hours each day online in 2019, according to one survey. This statistic is likely to have increased significantly since lockdowns began.
Shopping? Amazon is where it’s done. Visiting with old friends? It’s email, FaceTime, or Snapchat. Do you desire entertainment? Netflix, or play games online. Research?
Go to Google.
We can now almost entirely do our everyday activities online, therefore a rise in our online time appears inevitable.
We have never had it so convenient, but having everything available online has also left us open to danger.
Every action we take online is monitored, and every place we go, we leave a digital trail.
This is a fact that scammers and hackers work hard to take advantage of.
Of course, just like with everything else, technology has given us the means to safeguard our safety as our lives move online.
This will be even more important in 2022 because many of us will be accessing shared work networks from our homes as well as browsing for personal reasons, negating the need for the office’s walled-off security.
The password manager is one piece of technology that can assist protect your data.
A password manager will safeguard your current passwords, make new, secure password suggestions, and in some cases, even track the web to make sure your personal information isn’t compromised.
Additionally, it will eliminate the constant worry that we all have of forgetting one of our countless passwords.
In addition, with some of the top apps just costing a few dollars a month, it’s a terrific low-cost solution for enhanced protection. If you don’t have one, there has never been a better time to invest.
Virtual Private Networks are another another excellent security innovation (VPN).
Bypassing your internet service provider and hiding your digital tracks are both benefits of a VPN.
You won’t be able to see the stuff you are accessing, which greatly reduces your vulnerability to hackers.
Additionally, you can use public Wi-Fi accounts with more assurance.
Recently, a lot of companies have started using them, along with residential consumers.
Our suggestion is Surfshark.
It scored so highly in our VPN head-to-head review because it is both feature-rich and easy to use.
Anti-virus software, which offers a strong defense against all the nasty things lurking online and trying to trick us, is the last option.
This includes malware and ransomware, both of which are frequently created with the goal of obtaining money from victims.
Nobody is immune, not even the government, and using effective antivirus software is a fantastic method to detect and contain such efforts before they cause damage.
- Accessible Shopping
You can’t really beat seeing a product in person before you buy it, and you can’t exactly get takeout online (you can order a delivery, but that’s not quite the same). Despite the convenience and popularity of shopping online, the high street should not be neglected.
Technology hasn’t ignored traditional retail either.
We no longer have to worry about giving out cash or entering a pin number—just tap to pay, and you’re done—thanks to contactless cards and phone payments.
No of the size of your company, a Point of Sale (POS) system is a great asset.
With a POS, you can automatically control stock levels, generate electronic receipts, manage loyalty programs, manage sales, and more in addition to accepting payments online.
Additionally, it doesn’t have to be expensive; POS systems start at about $30 per month, and some even provide free hardware.
Check out our POS system reviews and start comparing POS systems right away to learn more.
Of course, you can shop without leaving your home.
We all have quick access to a virtual storefront where we can buy almost anything since the vast majority of people own a tablet, laptop, or smartphone.
Technology has also democratized the retail industry.
Before, you needed to have a physical location to open your own business; today, all you need is a computer and an idea.
It has never been simpler to sell your products to the world.
This is made possible by the ease with which website builders enable you to quickly design websites that appear professional and allow you to sell goods and services.
- Better Information Access
These days, learning something only requires a few clicks to do.
For many of us, we can just pull out our phones, start Googling, or even ask our smart home assistant to do it for us.
Although it may seem like a long time ago, finding more in-depth information about a topic required a trip to the library, if it was even available at all.
Nowadays, thanks to technological advancements, you can discover tens of thousands of online pages devoted to just about everything you can imagine, from “crochet patterns” (which returns 129,000,000 hits on Google) to “Roman history” (1,360,000,000 results).
There is practically an app for everything, which has made many other media all but obsolete for many of us. It’s a bit of a cliche, but it’s true.
Consider GPS as an example: To find out how to get someplace, all you need to do is open an app like Google Maps, choose the best route, and you’ll get directions as well as satellite imagery.
Even apps that automatically route vehicles for businesses are available, along with apps that provide traffic, weather, safety, and legal information.
We now find it much simpler to learn, date, eat, and pretty much anything else you can think of thanks to app technology.
The real hardware that all of these programs are running on should also not be disregarded.
Over the past ten years, the use of smartphones has increased exponentially, and daily web searches on mobile devices have surpassed those on laptops and desktop PCs.
Every year, without fail, advancements are made to handheld devices.
Almost everyone now views a mobile phone as a necessary gadget, well surpassing its initial use as a telephone (to actually talk to people), and serving as our portable gateway to the online world.
- Virtual Social Lives
The advent of social media has caused yet another profound upheaval in our way of life.
The early years of websites like MySpace and the initial version of Facebook already seem like a bygone era because of how quickly this sector has developed.
We can now view the waking lives of others in real time through services like Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram, and others, whether they are friends with a small following or celebrities with millions.
Businesses have joined in the fun, and because they have the power to positively or negatively impact a brand’s reputation, most businesses view a knowledgeable social media manager as crucial.
Although social media has had a rather bumpy road lately, as a society—or as many societies—we have never witnessed such widespread worldwide connection.
It has made social commentary and movements like #MeToo and Black Lives Matter more prevalent while also making us more susceptible to events like Facebook’s Cambridge Analytica debacle that can sway elections and skew democracy.
Although social media can be entertaining, studies have also shown that use can be bad for our mental health.
It’s so bad that several governments are urging social media corporations to exercise greater responsibility, particularly with regard to younger users.
There is obviously a lot to fix because a UK survey found that 46% of teenage females said that social media had a bad effect on their self-esteem.
Social media is ultimately only as effective as the people who use it, but whether you like it or not, it seems like it’s here to stay.
Consumers have the option to opt out, but companies that haven’t joined in will quickly lag behind rivals.
Digital marketing is a crucial component of every business with an online presence and one that must be done well.
- Flexible Working
While 2020 will be remembered for many unfavorable events, one of its most notable advantages has been the embrace of remote work.
Many were forced to leave their offices as the virus spread and log on from their homes.
According to one study, the percentage of Americans who worked from home at its highest was 42%.
And even after this pandemic is over, the tendency appears to be here to stay. Major corporations like Twitter and Microsoft have already announced that their employees can work from home at any time.
Working from home has been somewhat of a revelation for many people due to the lack of commuting, more flexible hours, reduced environmental effect, and freedom of location.
Once again, technological breakthroughs and the ideal union of hardware and broadband have made all of this feasible.
That’s not to imply that working outside of an office is without difficulties; managing a workforce that is dispersed across several sites can be difficult.
But once more, our friend technical advancement saves the day with remote working software, which can help with structure, organization, goal-setting, time management, and organizing.
- Smarter Health Tracking
The popularity of workout equipment has become yet another technological trend.
Even though we’ve been utilizing technology to keep in shape for a while, we’ve never been able to do it in a way that is so scientific, with real-time feedback and suggestions from tools that can track our exercises as we accomplish them.
Look no farther than Apple, whose Apple Watch is widely promoted as a fitness product, to see how committed we are in the fitness tech business.
The business sold 31 million of them in 2019, outpacing more established brands like Rolex and Omega to become the most popular watch brand in the world.
So what exactly can a fitness watch do?
The time when your “sports watch” could only keep track of your lap time is long gone.
We can now track and monitor our workout plans, check our blood pressure and pulse rates, and even check our sleeping patterns.
If you’re planning to purchase one this year, Tech.co has examined and contrasted some of the top fitness watches available, such as FitBit, Apple Watch, and Garmin Forerunner, to determine which is the best option given its features and price.
Conclusion: The Impact of Technology
So there you have it: seven striking examples of how technology has positively changed our day-to-day lives.
Since technology is always evolving, it won’t be long until some of the products and services we’ve discussed here become obsolete. In many cases, the development of their replacement is already underway in a research facility.
Whatever the case, there is no doubting that technology has had, and will continue to have, a significant impact on our lives.