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Updated on: 12 Aug 2013, 09:17
Originally posted by bermanator on 10 Aug 2013, 19:56.
Last edited by bermanator on 12 Aug 2013, 09:17, edited 2 times in total.
Last edited by bermanator on 12 Aug 2013, 09:17, edited 2 times in total.
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Issue: "Technology, while apparently aimed to simplify our lives, only makes our lives more complicated."
When they were first invented, washing machines and other appliances were thought to herald a new age in which people would have more time for leisure. High-tech innovations such as the personal computer were also thought to cut down on the time it would take to do accounting and other tasks, whether at work or at home. But, despite being designed to simplify our lives, technology often instead makes our lives more complicated.
Technologies, such as household appliances, were hailed as the time-savers of the future, but in reality we have simply taken on more tasks with the time we have saved. Are our lives really less busy than those of our grandparents', who might not have had washing machines? In most cases, our lives are paradoxically more busy. The biggest reason is simply that with the time we save having to do dishes or hand-wash laundry, we go ahead and take on more responsibility at work. Or, we go ahead to sign up for an MBA program, to stay competitive in our careers. As a result, we end up being at least as busy as our grandparents were, but with tasks from more domains that we must juggle simultaneously: work, study, family, and volunteering. It is no wonder that far from simplifying our lives, technology instead makes our lives more complex.
Even aside from the previous point, technology has actually increased our workload in many cases. Because of the sheer volume of information available to us via the internet, the quantity of work needed to keep up with personal and business correspondence has dramatically increased. It has become so easy to send emails, post comments, and message people both for business and pleasure, that it has become exponentially more difficulty for an office worker, for example, just to keep up with their work email. If one has a web forum or blog for work or pleasure, the task of keeping it updated with responses or supervision is almost without end. A scholar or researcher, in order to do an adequate literature review, must now review all relevant literature on the internet, which is vastly more than what a scholar fifty years ago needed to keep up with. Thus, technology has paradoxically increased our workload.
However, with more intentionality and greater effort, one may counter that the unintended complications which technology bring can be mitigated. Filtering functions, or better search engines can help us navigate the complexity of our inboxes or research. However, for the majority of people too busy running the rat race to be more intentional, technology is nevertheless still complicating their lives.
Little did we know that the advent of household appliances and other technological advances would not actually lead to more leisure in our lives. Even though technology has provided us with many other critical benefits, we should at least acknowledge that technology has generally not made our lives less complicated.
When they were first invented, washing machines and other appliances were thought to herald a new age in which people would have more time for leisure. High-tech innovations such as the personal computer were also thought to cut down on the time it would take to do accounting and other tasks, whether at work or at home. But, despite being designed to simplify our lives, technology often instead makes our lives more complicated.
Technologies, such as household appliances, were hailed as the time-savers of the future, but in reality we have simply taken on more tasks with the time we have saved. Are our lives really less busy than those of our grandparents', who might not have had washing machines? In most cases, our lives are paradoxically more busy. The biggest reason is simply that with the time we save having to do dishes or hand-wash laundry, we go ahead and take on more responsibility at work. Or, we go ahead to sign up for an MBA program, to stay competitive in our careers. As a result, we end up being at least as busy as our grandparents were, but with tasks from more domains that we must juggle simultaneously: work, study, family, and volunteering. It is no wonder that far from simplifying our lives, technology instead makes our lives more complex.
Even aside from the previous point, technology has actually increased our workload in many cases. Because of the sheer volume of information available to us via the internet, the quantity of work needed to keep up with personal and business correspondence has dramatically increased. It has become so easy to send emails, post comments, and message people both for business and pleasure, that it has become exponentially more difficulty for an office worker, for example, just to keep up with their work email. If one has a web forum or blog for work or pleasure, the task of keeping it updated with responses or supervision is almost without end. A scholar or researcher, in order to do an adequate literature review, must now review all relevant literature on the internet, which is vastly more than what a scholar fifty years ago needed to keep up with. Thus, technology has paradoxically increased our workload.
However, with more intentionality and greater effort, one may counter that the unintended complications which technology bring can be mitigated. Filtering functions, or better search engines can help us navigate the complexity of our inboxes or research. However, for the majority of people too busy running the rat race to be more intentional, technology is nevertheless still complicating their lives.
Little did we know that the advent of household appliances and other technological advances would not actually lead to more leisure in our lives. Even though technology has provided us with many other critical benefits, we should at least acknowledge that technology has generally not made our lives less complicated.
10 Aug 2013, 20:21
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On a 6.0 scale please, thanks. --- Bermanator (original poster)
12 Aug 2013, 09:45
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This essay appears to be analysis of an issue - not analysis of an argument. This type of essay has been removed from the GMAT.
