Most nations focus on economic development in order to improve their standard of living, though at the expense of crucial social values. While economic development has its impact on improving the quality of life by providing more technological advancements, this essay argues that the advantages do not outweigh the cost of sacrificing important social values. Firstly, incentivizing economic growth leads to a loss of many traditional infrastructure. Secondly, many traditional holidays and customs will be slowly discarded.
The main downside of the impact of economic development on social aspects is the demolition of traditional infrastructures and landmarks. As the demand for commercial buildings rises, this may lead to countries gradually replacing traditional houses for malls and skyscrapers. Furthermore, the migration of workers from rural to metropolitan areas motivates the increase of apartments to provide extra housing for newcomers, which validates the need to clear out some traditional landmarks to make space for new facilities. The second drawback is that there will be a noticeable reduction in traditional festivals and holidays, causing people to forget their cultural values. With the majority of time invested in working, holidays are seen as an irrelevant investment of time and energy. Moreover, the output of financial resources for these events are costly, thus further discouraging governments in maintaining these traditional festivals and holidays. For instance, in enforcing economic growth in 2022, Tet holiday in Vietnam was disregarded as most Vietnamese still have to work during this period. Additionally, there were no decorations and fireworks, even though Tet is the most important cultural aspect of the Vietnamese people.
However, some may argue that economic development leads to more technological advancements, making life more convenient. While this is true, most of recent mental issues, such as depression and anxiety, stem from the increase in technological involvement in people’s daily lives. Technology makes people complacent, which is observable among the younger generations, as they are more reluctant to engage in proactive activities and settle for sedentary ones. Therefore, technological advancements may make life more difficult rather than making it more pleasant, thus suggesting that this reason may not trump the negative effects on social values analyzed above.
In conclusion, the drawbacks of economic development on social values – causing a loss of traditional infrastructures and customs – clearly outweigh the advantages of economic development, that is it allows for technological advancements.