Modern Technology
In an era where human progress is soaring at a
dizzying rate, society must adaptits technology to solve current world issues.
In a world where the Internet,
cell phones and notebook computers are
becoming a necessity for everyday living,
we often forget about those who
still suffer attempting to meet their basic
needs, including clean water,
food and health care. It is time for the developed
world to use their
technology to help those who can not help themselves. By
using these
technologies there will be advances in medical services, a new
economy based
on the Internet, emerging information technologies and new methods
for the
farming and industrial sectors. More importantly, these technologies
will
provide the education and knowledge for these people to become
prosperous
nations that can fend for themselves and provide for their people.
Transfers of
technology from the developed world to the developing world will
improve the
standard of living, increase efficiency in production and become
a base for
economic growth, without this transfer these countries will fall
further into
poverty and economic ruin, with little hope for survival. For
most people of the
developed world, the developing world is not something
they concern themselves
with; they do not see it everyday and therefore it
does not exist. This could
not be farther from the truth. The developing
world is in need of help but the
developed world constantly turns a blind
eye. Our current love affair with
technology may provide the answer for
underdeveloped nations problems. The
standard of living is so low in these
countries that our everyday conveniences
are a struggle for the entire
population to obtain. If the developed nations
could meet these base needs,
these countries may be able to overcome their
current problems. The first
issue that must be dealt with is the unsatisfactory
health care and medical
technology. If the developed world could send excess
medical supplies along
with the personnel to administer them, they might learn
to take care of
themselves. In time, the common diseases that kill thousands in
these
countries will be under control and people will start living
longer,
healthier lives. A second issue is the exchange of technology for
agriculture
and industry. As a result, new jobs will be created to provide
income, while
reducing child labor. As the people of these countries start to
build income for
themselves, the amount of crime will be reduced as people
will be able to afford
to meet their basic needs. As an example, instead of
having to steal or beg for
food or clothing, they would be able to purchase
them; thus reducing crime and
increase economic growth. The case study of
China completed in class, showed
that as people became educated and more
career oriented, the size of families
decreased thus reducing overpopulation.
This occurs for two main reasons, people
will not have time for a family and
less children are required for the work
force. With overpopulation and the
rate of natural increase under control the
standard of living in these
countries will increase. With just a small jumpstart
from the developing
world, developing countries will experience a chain reaction
that will
increase their standard of living. This chain will start with
improved
medicine to increase life expectancy, followed by new jobs that will
bring
income and finally education that will reduce overpopulation and crime.
All of
these factors resulting from technological transfers will lead to an
overall
increase in living standard. In the corporate world of North America,
it has
never been easier to start a business or company. Using modern
technology such
and the Internet and a computer, an individual or group of
individuals can
become major players in today's ever increasing electronic
economy. As the
overall cost of doing business drops, it will make "the
technology more
rapidly available, at a decreased cost"(Freund, pg.2) and
therefore level
the economic playing field. As companies start cropping up,
built around a new
information based economy, there will be more and more
demand for jobs. These
jobs will give local workers a chance at making some
money and providing a
living for themselves and their families. With
employment on the increase,
people will start making decent wages, they will
spend it locally, thus
increasing the local economy and helping their own
industry to grow. This
economic growth will have multiple effects that
include more health care and
educational funding and allow the development of
infrastructure. Once the
countries have started to reach this level, they
will be able to increase their
initial technologies to further communications
and computer systems, again
allowing them to be competitive players in the
global market. In recent years
the Western world has experienced exponential
growth in the computer and
information market, which has in turn led to an
improved economy, increased
political spending and the further development of
technology. As developing
nations take hold of this technology, they will
jump the gap from an
agricultural to an information society, hopefully giving
them the same benefits
the developed world has experienced. Developing
nations are going to be able to
take advantage of technology used by the
Western world to give their economy a
much needed advantage, without all the
problems the West has experienced. They
will be able to learn from the
developed world's mistakes. "When the steam
engine was invented in England at
the beginning of the eighteenth century, it
took fifty years for it to spread
to western Europe and America. In contrast,
innovations in transistor and
semiconductor technology since World War II have,
on average, taken only
about 2 years to spread among countries." (Freund,
pg.2). Accordingly,
underdeveloped countries on the verge of economic explosion
will have an
advantage over the developed world. A developing economy based on
information
and computers requires much less overhead than an traditional,
industrial
based economy. Due to the fact these countries do not have a lot to
work with
from the start, they will have a chance to start the ball rolling in
their
country by using new technologies to their advantage. This fact alone
will
provide the base for economic growth that these countries need and allow
for the
transition from a third world country to possibly a second or first
world
country, while at the same time, raising their standard of living. It
is human
nature to think that bigger is better. Only in the past twenty years
have we
started to learn that efficiency is the key to solving many of the
world's
problems. For example, it has been long thought that the world would
not be able
to produce enough food to feed itself. With increased
technological advances, we
have learned how to increase food production and
currently can supply every
person in the world with food. For the developing
world, getting the most out of
what they have available to them is very
important. The biggest problem holding
back these developing nations, is the
lack of food. To overcome this problem we
must teach the farmers in these
countries how to properly irrigate their land,
harvest their crops properly
and combat pests. These elements combined with high
yielding varieties of
seeds should prove to increase food production and
therefore feed those in
need. Unfortunately, most agriculture is for export and
therefore does not
help to combat hunger. Transfers of agricultural and
industrial technology
that allow for the streamlining of business, such as
combines and the
production line, will create new jobs and contribute to
increased production
output. As the developing world experiences this
technological transfer and
growth, the demand for power in these countries will
increase dramatically.
To avoid power shortages and reduce pollution, the
governments of these
countries must find a way to deliver more efficient power
production on a
larger scale. With help from the developed world, these
countries will be
able to build environmentally friendly power plants to help
increase the
living and industrial potential of the developing world. The best
part of
technology transfers to these third world countries is that they
will
continuously put money back into their local economy, which will
increase
education levels, health care standards and therefore have a direct
relation to
the standard of living. As these developing countries use
newfound technology to
increase their living conditions, they will
unfortunately run into some of the
environmental problems the developed world
has seen. For example, pesticides and
herbicides used in combating pests and
weeds, leach into the soil and into the
water table. Most of these chemicals
are having profound effects on both the
people and the land, leading to
premature deaths and unfertile soil. This is an
unfortunate side effect of
increased technology but, a somewhat necessary evil
if these countries hope
to increase the conditions in their countries. Many of
the world issues we
have today are a result of the developed worlds actions. If
the global
village hopes to advance as a singular race, it must share what it
has
learned and treat everyone as equal. Technological transfers will be the
key
factor of development where living standards are low. These transfers
will give
countries who need it, the necessities that the developed world
has, such as
health care, an education system and a strong economy, that if
were not
received, would significantly lower the chance of survival in the
developed
world.