Our world constantly improves as a result of research and innovation. Nowadays, all of our transportation, telecommunications, and healthcare rely on technological advancements. In my firm belief, the dependence we place on devices and appliances, especially in essential aspects of our daily lives, can result in life-threatening situations.
Public transits across the globe are based solely on computer skills and IT managers. Without the presence of efficient and reliable resources, traveling from one country to another may be deemed impossible. One of the largest incidents of IT failures was a recent global outage of programming centers, causing thousands of tourists to miss their flight and remain stranded in a foreign region.
Additionally, medical records of everyone in the world is placed in a singular database that can be wiped in an instant. As much as it offers convenience to healthcare workers, accessing any patient’s details in a second, it also becomes susceptible to hacking and data breaches. If one person has leaked a password, any trained hacker can easily delete vital information of relevant people.
Furthermore, calls and texts have become the main form of communication, especially in order to contact someone overseas; however, the anonymity of online applications has resulted in several cases of catfishing, threats, and cyberbullying. The lack of parental supervision allows children to freely access content available on websites that are inappropriate for their ages. For instance, the ‘blue whale’ incident on the dark web made hundreds of minors take their own lives in a simple game of truth or dare.
Overall, technological inventions have been the biggest contributor to the advancement of society. Nevertheless, there is always potential harm in any given event; hence, reliance on computers and the internet must be done responsibly and warily.