The arrival of technologies and their constant improvement has many advantages and positive aspects for society and, more precisely, for humans. However, these technologies also have a dark side from which many negative aspects, often ignored, can be drawn.
Technologies have, over the centuries, helped humans to develop new skills that have led to new discoveries and breakthroughs, in many fields. But nowadays, people increasingly rely on technologies, more precisely on digital technologies and the Internet. It is therefore worth asking the question: "Does technology make humans less intelligent"?
Unfortunately, there is no specific answer to this question, as the situation depends on many factors and the way people use technologies. However, let's look at the positive and negative aspects of technology, so that you can make up your own mind.
The benefits of technology
Simplifying everyday life
One of the main benefits of technology for society is the simplification of everyday life. Many electronic and household devices allow humans to do more with less effort. Examples include household appliances such as microwaves and refrigerators, which allow us to store and reheat our food effortlessly.
Improving communication
Technology has also greatly improved communication between people. We can now chat instantly with someone on the other side of the world via telephone or video conferencing.
Saving time
Technologies have also helped humans save time, leading to an increase in human creativity. Many tasks that were once done by humans are now done by computers, allowing humans to focus on developing other areas of business.
Improving productivity for businesses
Many companies have also gained productivity through technology. By automating some of their activities, they can achieve more, in less time and using fewer resources.
The disadvantages of technology
Reducing the ability to think and concentrate
Although digital technologies are very useful in many contexts, their extensive use can make us dependent, in addition to affecting our memory and our ability to concentrate and think. By having access to thousands of pieces of information instantly, we take for granted the fact that we can have the answer to all our questions in a few clicks. The Internet therefore discourages reflection by making humans reluctant to any intellectual effort.
Contributing to insomnia and anxiety
Since it is now so easy to find the answers to all our questions online, many people use the search engines to find information about the symptoms they are experiencing. The answers they find are sometimes negative or worrying and can therefore cause stress and even anxiety. It has also often been proven that the extensive use of electronic devices such as phones, tablets, computers and even televisions can lead to sleep disturbances or worse, insomnia.
Increasing the risk of malicious use
There is nothing new in the fact that there are people in the world whose intentions are malicious. Technology is a powerful tool and its misuse can be very dangerous. The risks associated with its hijacking or its inappropriate use for criminal or terrorist purposes are very real. We have already been, many times, the witnesses of security incidents affecting the so-called protected infrastructures.
As you can see, the question asked at the beginning of this article is not an easy one to answer. With the arrival and the ongoing improvements of technologies like Open AI's ChatGPT and machine translation tools, it will become even more difficult to answer it in a few years. However, it is in the best interest of all companies to keep up with technology trends in order to be competitive and continue to grow.
