In today’s digital age, it is assumed that technological developments will drive traditional culture towards loss. Therefore, although many argue that conventional cultures and technology have nothing in common, I believe people can blend cultural values in with technology as a way to add diversity in life.
Granted, it is understandable why advances in technology will render tradition extinct in terms of globalization and integration. This is because the younger generation tends to adopt foreign languages, like English, due to online communication, resulting in the gradual decline in the importance of local languages. This can be demonstrated by the case of Africa where the use of foreign languages is higher than mother tongue. Additionally, another point worth noting is that acculturation can contribute to the loss of national identity because people would consider a bunch of traditional values inappropriate and inferior to those from other nations. For example, there is a minority of Vietnamese people fed up with the practice of traditional water puppet but to develop a taste for Halloween, originally from Europe. As a result, technological era will be the driver of traditional practices toward disappearance, aggravating the sense of cultural identity.
However, I believe that technology and tradition can coexist on the understanding that people strike a balance. And, one plausible explanation for this is that cultural traditions, such as national history, music and heritage can be archived online for future generation to explore. In fact, electronic gadgets can have several quiz games regarding culture to instill cultural interest into grassroots, subliminally evoking a sense of patriotism. Moreover, the internet can play a role as a storage, saving numerous historic records and national costumes for further reference. To put it briefly, the younger generation can turn to database to reflect on their ancestor’s achievements and creation or discuss publicly when there are misunderstandings, allowing them to discover historic facts everywhere. Thus, I ponder that technological advancements will offer benefits to cultural values if people use them properly.
In conclusion, although technological innovations can be seen as a significant threat to the future of traditional cultures, they play a role as history archive by storing human landmarks and evolution in online database. For these reasons, I advocate that technology and national cultures are inseparable factors in societal development.