Do you feel that computers are a huge part of people’s lives? All over the world, computers have been bought and sold to billions of people, and they don’t know what to do without them. But what if all of the computers in the world spontaneously shut down at the same time? Would chaos erupt out of the ruins of our technological society? Our lives have used computers as building blocks, to place us where we are today. Medical researchers, engineers, and many other jobs use computers as the base, the first rung to the ladder, to get us where we are today.
I have been researching the topic of how computers have affected our society for our 8th grade culminating project. Some key things I’ve learned about it are how people have spent their lives creating new programs or new computers for the people who live the life of a computer person. Our economy is heavily stacked upon computers, as they control the stock market, and the sale of them as well. We created a society that is dependent on the use of computers and without them, we are nothing. That is what scares me, and should scare everyone too.
It’s really incredible that the United States of America, an independent country, is greatly reliant on computers. Military, hospitals, and scientific studies all molded together with computers. If you had a tumor in your stomach, an MRI would usually confirm it. But if computers were never invented, would you be left to die, or given aspirin for stomach pains? I am afraid one day we may lose everything that we have worked for, only because the information we needed to survive was on the internet.
One other impactful aspect of the topic I explored described how the escalation of computer sales and revenue rose extremely quickly since 1975. If I go to an electronics store and looked at that computer, the probability that I would have the money and motive to buy it would be huge. These machines have influenced our economy and many people have huge investments in it, both directly and indirectly. Online shopping and trading is common as it is easily accessible. Money is the motive to do anything, it seems.
This has shown me that we humans are extremely reliant on influence, even if we really don’t realize it. A friend could tell me about a new app for my phone, and if it looked worthwhile, I’d get it. This era can be our greatest moment, followed by our most terrible downfall. Who knows what common criminals and terrorists think about? They could be hacking into our systems or maybe just coercing our politicians to give them full control over our country, the land of the free.
I think the way I want this project to impact me is by realizing how much influence computers have on my life and many others. We are a world with huge amounts of potential to expand our technology, yet at the same time it could be our biggest flaw. Fossil fuels are running out, and the ozone layer is disappearing, and most people worry about what are they going to where tomorrow. Our naivety as humans creates a hole in the system, one that is nearly impossible to cover up. As humans, we all have flaws, and someday, computers won’t be able to help us.