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Shelby Borgers
2 April, 2019
THE IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGY IN SOCIETY TODAY Borgers 2
to the General Studies major I have chosen for my degree from Dakota State University (DSU).
For the Bachelor of General Studies (BGS) degree, I have chosen three areas of emphasis;
Education, Technology, and Science and Math. I intend to share with you, information regarding
the role technological advance plays in society, how technology affects relationships and impacts
individuals’ communication and social skills, as well as how technology affects employment. I
also intend to share with you, details in reference to the role technology plays in the fields of
education, science, and math, as well as the role science and mathematics play in many technology-
based fields.
Technological advance has always played a significant role in society. In 1989, only 15
percent of homes in the United States had a personal computer. It is important to note that at this
time, none of the personal computers were connected to the Internet. “By 2011,” according to the
United States Census Bureau, “75 percent” of United States homes “had computers and more than
70 percent were surfing the Internet” (Mossberg, 2014). Technology plays a crucial role in society
today, as can be seen by recent rapid technological advancement; i.e. smartphones. Many
technological devices impact the daily lives of individuals. Without the aid of technological
devices, most, if not all, individuals’ lives in the United States would be significantly impacted.
For instance, individuals may fail to wake up timely, forget important events, miss crucial
meetings, and be out of the loop on important conversations that would normally take place via
relationships. Technological advancement via electronic media affects how individuals form new
relationships in their personal lives. With advancing technology, it has become less common to
THE IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGY IN SOCIETY TODAY Borgers 3
meet individuals and form lasting relationships with them without technological help. For instance,
many individuals use online resources, such as Match, Tinder, PlentyOfFish, and Bumble.
Furthermore, with electronic media, individuals’ personal relationships are not always ‘personal’.
For example, an individual may be Facebook friends with someone, but may not actually be friends
with them in real life, or may not know them, or have met them at all. In this manner, social media
can become dangerous to some users, especially impressionable adolescents just trying to fit in
communication and social skills. By communicating with others via electronic media sources, such
as FaceTime or Skype, individuals lack the opportunity to practice talking to others people in-
person. It is completely different because in-person, individuals need to understand social cues,
such as eye contact, body language, and what verbiage to use for particular situations. These social
cues are key to forming new and lasting relationships. Furthermore, technological advancement in
electronic media is of great significance today and will continue to be important in the future.
“Their specific features aside, smartphones and tablets have ushered in a new phase of human
existence, what has been called “The Age of Connection,” an era in which anyone with a telephone
or an internet account can potentially reach anyone similarly equipped almost instantaneously”
Today, due to the prevalence of smartphones, tablets, the internet, social media, and many
apps, face-to-face communication has changed. It is no longer necessary to be in the same room
as someone else for face-to-face communication. The creation of FaceTime is one of the many
technological advancements in electronic media that have allowed individuals to speak to others
face-to-face without being in the same location. In this way, technology enables individuals,
THE IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGY IN SOCIETY TODAY Borgers 4
businesses, and corporations etc. to build and maintain relationships on a global level. For
example, by using videochat apps, such as Skype or FaceTime, a company, based in the United
Technology also affects employment. For example, although mass production lowered the
number of workers needed to build a car, employment in the automobile industry increased along
with the spread of mass-production technologies. During the twentieth century, the automobile
industry was the greatest job generator. “Although direct employment in the automobile industry
has steadily declined in recent years, the approximately 250 million cars and light trucks on
America’s roads provide employment for legions of mechanics, sales personnel, and insurance
agents” (Volti, 2017, p. 192). Additionally, employment is provided for many workers who have
jobs that indirectly relate to the “automotive culture and are employed in everything from oil
changed the employment industry, especially the automobile industry. The assembly line was the
“ultimate marriage of machine technology and the division of labor” (Volti, 2017, p. 216). “Instead
of using a variety of skills and working at their own pace, workers perform specialized and
repetitious tasks that are dictated by the tempo of the moving line” (Volti, 2017, p. 216). The
Henry Ford, along with his colleagues, introduced the moving assembly line in 1913, which
allowed for small batches of automobiles to be produced by workers “with a multiplicity of skills”
(Volti, 2017, p. 216). With the introduction of the assembly line, significant price cuts were able
to occur because the time needed for manufacture was dramatically reduced and the “substitution
THE IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGY IN SOCIETY TODAY Borgers 5
of low-wage, unskilled labor for the high-priced labor of all-around craftsmen” was allowed (Volti,
2017, p. 216). Additionally, the “typical automobile assembly line” was “churning out 50 to 60
vehicles per hour” (Volti, 2017, p. 216). This dramatic increase in production led to the need for
more employees or workers. As the automotive industry continues to grow, employees will likely
As the example of the automotive industry indicates, if the demand for products and
services increases at the same pace as productivity increases, technological advances will not lead
to job losses. Additionally, product or service prices can play a role in the level of demand. “If
productivity increases bring down the cost, more people can afford it, thereby increasing the size
of the market for that product,” in this case, automobiles (Volti, 2017, p. 190). As demand
increases, employers may be motivated to hire more employees or workers to meet the increased
demands. “Much of the history of mass production conforms to this pattern, as exemplified by the
automobile industry and the interrelated increases in productivity, employment, production, and
purchases that began when Henry Ford began to produce large numbers of Model T cars” (Volti,
2017, p. 190).
The ongoing development of high-tech industries will be a source of future job growth.
Technology can actually create jobs. Many jobs that can be found today did not exist in the past,
such as X-ray technicians. Additionally, locomotive engineers did not exist prior to the
technological advancement that led to the railroad industry. When one thinks about it, a pattern
can be found among the technological growth. As technological advances continue to take place,
more products will be created. Thus, more people will need to be employed to make and look over
For example, as technological advances have been produced; such as microwave ovens,
food processors, smartphones, personal computers, Wi-Fi routers, big-screen HD televisions, and
Blue-ray players; new employment opportunities have been allowed to be created in the forms of
manufacturing, marketing, and servicing. Additionally, solar panels are a great technological
advancement that has both economic and environmental benefits as they harness solar energy.
Some other examples of new employment opportunities include occupations such as “genetic
engineer, global positioning system technician, website designer, and social media strategist”
(Volti, 2017, p. 191). Technology will continue to further develop and create more employment
opportunities.
job scarcity. Some technological advancements destroy existing human jobs. Fully automated
industrial processes have greatly affected employment by reducing the need for human labor in
many industries. Although the total employment has massively increased over the past century,
many jobs held and performed by manufacturing workers have been lost due to mechanization.
The total employment has increased because many jobs have been created, not in the “production
of things but in the supply of services, segments of the economy including, but not limited to,
education, medicine, entertainment, law enforcement, wholesale and retail sales, and
transportation” (Volti, 2017, p. 195). Service occupations are rapidly outnumbering other
occupations and the amount of workers performing “service-type functions in the manufacturing
sector is large and growing” (Volti, 2017, p. 195). This indicates the nature of work is changing.
Furthermore, the “desire for services shows no signs of abating,” which will contribute to
the likely generation of an abundance of future jobs (Volti, 2017, p. 196). However, it is important
to recognize that although total employment has increased, many individuals have still suffered
THE IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGY IN SOCIETY TODAY Borgers 7
technologically advanced machinery making the need for human workers inessential will likely
continue to occur in future years. Human workers will continue to become dispensable, as the jobs
Technological change not only affects industrial work, but also white-collar work. The
typical workplace in the employment industry today is not in the factory, but rather, in the office.
“More workers are engaged in what the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics classifies as “office and
administrative support occupations” than any other type of work, comprising about 16 percent of
the nation’s labor force” (Volti, 2017, p. 220). In many instances, technological
advancement/change has increased skill requirements of employees, as well as allowed for greater
instances, new technological development has diminished employee skill levels. For example,
technological advancements in maintenance and repair jobs can lead to fewer maintenance
requirements. Many times, when repairs are necessary, workers can accomplish the tasks simply;
they may simply need to disconnect a part and replace it with a new one. Overall, most methods
commerce is the “buying and selling of goods or services using the internet, and the transfer of
money and data to execute these transactions” (“Ecommerce Definition – What is Ecommerce”,
n.d.). E-commerce outlets, such as Amazon, have become prevalent in society today. They attract
an abundance of customers. One reason why e-commerce is increasingly popular is that it is not
hindered by store hours. Physical stores are only able to be open certain hours of the day, while e-
commerce sites are able to be open 24-7, or twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.
THE IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGY IN SOCIETY TODAY Borgers 8
Unfortunately, e-commerce has taken a toll on physical buildings owned by businesses, also
known as stores. As more people resort to online transactions, less people make purchases in actual
stores. This leads to stores not making enough profit to cover their overhead costs. Eventually,
many stores close, or are bought out by other businesses, as can be seen recently, by Shopko,
Younkers, Sears, and Charlotte Russe stores. Since 1994, e-commerce has grown significantly.
“BigCommerce cites that ecommerce is growing 23% year-over-year, and according to eMarketer,
global ecommerce sales are expected to top $27 trillion in 2020” (Ecommerce Guide, 2019). It is
important to note that these statistics solely include the retail sector. The e-commerce industry will
Technological change has affected the distribution of income in recent years. “The growth
of income and wealth inequality has been one of the most profound economic and social changes
over the past four decades. To cite one indication of growing inequality, in 1975, the top 20 percent
of American households accounted for 40.7 percent of the income received in the United States.
By 2011, their share had climbed to 52 percent. Even more extreme has been the relative gain of
households in the upper 1 percent, from around 10 percent of the nation’s total income in the 1970s
Recent decades have contributed to both job losses and widening income economic
altered family structures, reductions in government benefits for poor people, tax policies that have
favored upper-income groups, increased immigration, stagnant minimum wages, and the erosion
of union power. “When assessing the importance of technological change in promoting inequality,
it is worth noting that all industrialized nations have also been the scene of significant advances in
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technology, but few of them have exhibited income and wealth inequalities as large as those of the
Technological change puts some individuals at a disadvantage, such as those with only a
high school education or less, and older workers, especially ones with limited skills. “For the nation
as a whole, the job losses suffered by older workers will likely be a growing problem as the
population of the United States collectively ages; whereas there were 63 million men and women
aged 55 or older in 2002; by 2025, there are projected to be 103 million of them” (Volti, 2017, p.
200). Older workers can receive training to be equipped to assume new jobs, but many employers
simply desire to hire younger employees that can help their business thrive in an ever-changing
technological society. Additionally, businesses may save money by hiring new, younger
employees as they will likely have a lower starting pay. Furthermore, it is becoming increasingly
important in many occupations to have high educational credentials. In many occupations, solely
having a high school education is no longer enough. Those without high educational credentials
may experience diminished incomes or job loss as they are replaced by other, more qualified
Wages and salaries are based on “employee’s contributions to the organizations they work
for, but they also reflect factors external to individual workers such as minimum-wage laws, tax
policies, and the extent to which federal, state, and local governments support or oppose
unionization” (Volti, 2017, p. 200). To get an idea of the current income inequality in the United
States, “one would have to go back to the 1920s to find the same degree of income inequality in
the United States as exists today” (Volti, 2017, p. 200). If current employment trends continue,
substantial wage and salary differences will likely endure. In the future, I expect that technological
change will continue to significantly impact the distribution of income. However, government
THE IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGY IN SOCIETY TODAY Borgers 10
policies can also be enacted and used as an influence. In this way, income distribution can move
Technology has created new jobs, but what is the nature and pay of those jobs? “On one
hand, technological change has resulted in the emergence of many new, high-paying occupations
and business opportunities. On the other hand, technological change has been implicated in
diminished economic opportunities and an overall reduction in wages for significant portions of
It can be said that technological change may, eliminate jobs, but not work. This means that
certain jobs that workers perform may be eliminated due to technological change or advancement,
but the actual workload may not change. For example, technological advancement may eliminate
certain jobs, such as jobs on an assembly line. A particular job that a worker does may be replaced
by machinery. However, technological change does not always eliminate, or even reduce, work.
The worker may still need to perform the same amount of work. This means that businesses can
use increasingly advanced technology to accomplish more tasks in a given time frame in order to
maximize profits. They make more money and actually save money by not having to pay more
employees.
Technology also plays an ever-growing important role in education. In the past, technology
in education was a rarity. In classrooms nationwide, it was common practice for students to share
textbooks and learning materials. Additionally, students utilized libraries for information research
and literary reading. Today, libraries have become almost obsolete; “massive amounts of
information (books, audio, images, videos) are available at one’s fingertips through the Internet”
(Purdue University, 2017). Educators are also affected by technological advancements. In the past,
educators played a strong role in students’ learning. Educators no longer simply deliver a lesson,
THE IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGY IN SOCIETY TODAY Borgers 11
but rather, support and guide their students’ learning; they “guide students in developing skills in
problem solving, research, and decision-making” (Lynch, 2017). Teachers facilitate students’
learning via technological resources and technology-focused activities that encourage students to
Education, n.d.). By incorporating technology into the classroom, educators are able to effectively
connects with their students, no matter their learning style. Technology assists in the classroom by
making learning more collaborative and project-based. Additionally, educators are incorporating
a STEM education into their classrooms. STEM education is “an interdisciplinary curriculum
designed to motivate students to learn more about science, technology, engineering, and
mathematics” (Lucas, 2014). Technology has allowed for students to obtain an interactive learning
experience. “Students learn by doing, researching, and receiving feedback,” which allows students
to “become passionate about what they are learning” (Lynch, 2017). An example of an interactive
technological learning experience might be that students “may study geography using interactive
software such as Google Maps or Google Earth, instead of looking at a picture” (Lynch, 2017).
Furthermore, simulation software has allowed educators to incorporate diverse learning topics into
the education curriculum that students would normally not experience. For example, “by using
specific simulation tools, students can see planetary movements, how a tornado develops, or how
dinosaurs lived” (Lynch, 2017). In this way, students are better able to connect what they learn to
Technology also allows students to learn about real-world issues by encouraging educators
to incorporate current events into their learning models. “By using the Internet, students can
research real issues happening at that moment that are related to the classroom curriculum. This
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helps students understand that the lesson being taught refers to real problems and real people”
(Lynch, 2017). In this way, students learn that what they are being taught pertains to them and has
In many schools, students use technological devices, such as SMART boards, computers,
and iPads, on a daily basis. Educators are given the opportunity to teach their students “digital
citizenship skills” (Mareco, 2017). Students learn how to use technological devices in a correct
and responsible manner. “If used correctly, mobile devices and the applications they support will
Dropboxes and other online submission methods eliminate the need for assignments to be
physically turned in. Today, students can submit assignments from nearly anywhere across the
globe; the only real requirement is access to Wi-Fi. Also, many standardized tests have adapted to
an online medium; more standardized tests are being “administered via technology than paper and
Additionally, students can partake in online courses; “48 states and the District of
Columbia currently support online learning opportunities” (U.S. Department of Education, n.d.).
By taking courses via an online medium, students are able to obtain flexible learning schedules
and take courses they might not be able to take in a traditional classroom. Online learning
opportunities can “increase educational productivity by accelerating the rate of learning; reducing
costs associated with instructional materials or program delivery; and better utilizing teacher time”
(U.S. Department of Education, n.d.). “Technology infuses classrooms with digital learning tools,
such as computers and hand held devices; expands course offerings, experiences, and learning
materials; supports learning 24 hours a day, 7 days a week; builds 21st century skills; increases
student engagement and motivation; and accelerates learning” (U.S. Department of Education,
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n.d.). As technology continues to advance, the options for incorporating technology into the
Students learn and are taught in many different ways. As students learn, they utilize
different parts of their brain and three primary brain networks come into play; recognition
(representation), strategic (action and expression), and affective (engagement). The recognition
(representation) networks contribute to how students gather facts and categorize what they see,
hear, and read. Identifying letters, words, or an author’s style are recognition tasks. Educators can
use technology in the forms of videos and audio books to assist the development in this part of the
brain. The strategic (action and expression) networks contribute to planning and performing tasks,
or how students organize and express ideas. Writing an essay or solving a math problem are
strategic tasks. Educators can use technology in the forms of video production and group projects
to assist in the development of this portion of the brain. Affective (engagement) networks
contribute to how learners get engaged and stay motived; how they are challenged, excited, or
interested. Educators can use technology in the forms of interactive whiteboards, such as SMART
Boards, interactive displays, and iPad applications (apps) to assist in the development of this part
Technology also plays an important role in the fields of science and math. Science is
defined as “the pursuit of knowledge about the natural world through systematic observation and
experiments,” and technology is defined as “the application of scientifically gained knowledge for
practical purpose” (Wood, n.d.). Scientists use technology in nearly every experiment. The
science more than any other device” (Wood, n.d.). Computers allow scientists, and other
individuals, to retrieve and analyze large amounts of data in a statistical format. “The kind of pen-
and-paper calculations that would have taken months can now be done in mere minutes” (Wood,
n.d.). Over the course of history, technology has become a necessity to the field of science.
Within the fields of science and math, technology plays a strong role in research and
development (R&D) programs. The field of medicine, which falls under science, has greatly
evolved over time, making it into a successful R&D program. The field of medicine plays a
fundamental part in society. Thanks to modern medicine, life expectancies have increased, many
diseases have been eradicated from society (i.e. Smallpox and Poliomyelitis (Polio)), and medical
procedures and medications have become safer and more reliable. Over time, through research and
development, numerous problems within the field of medicine have been resolved. Knowledge
plays a huge role in the field of medicine and in the future, it is likely that diseases such as syphilis,
HIV/AIDS, and, potentially, cancer, stand a good change at being cured. However, it will take a
lot of time, money, and R&D. “The realization of the potentialities created by research
resolved, and, equally important, the new material or device has to be put into a form that allows
it to be produced at a reasonable cost” (Volti, 2017, p. 44). The scientific field of medicine will
continue to further in its advancement and will also continue to play a key role in society. Without
the field of medicine, many individuals would pay the ultimate price with their life.
In the field of math, technology plays a prevalent role. For example, calculators are
technological devices that work as assistive technology in math classrooms nationwide. Students
THE IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGY IN SOCIETY TODAY Borgers 15
use calculators to check their work, solve problems, and/or obtain visual representations, in the
form of graphs, for particular equations. In mathematics classrooms, is has been found that the
“strategic use of technological tools can support both the learning of mathematical procedures and
manner, it should be used as a supportive tool to aid teaching and learning. Examples of assistive
technology include virtual tools, such virtual whiteboards, number lines, graphs, and student
Technology plays a prominent role in the fields of science and mathematics. Likewise,
science and mathematics play a prevalent role in many technology-based fields, such as
mathematics, and empirical evidence, to the innovation, design, construction, operation and
organizations” (Wikipedia, 2019). There are many types, or branches, within the field of
computer, industrial, and environmental (Lucas, 2014). Each field is centralized around science,
In conclusion, technology has and will continue to play a crucial role in society.
Additionally, technology plays a significant role in the fields of education, science, and math.
Likewise, science and mathematics play a noteworthy role in many technology-based fields.
Lastly, I am content with my chosen major for the Bachelor of General Studies (BGS) degree, with
THE IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGY IN SOCIETY TODAY Borgers 16
emphasis areas of Education, Technology, and Science and Math from Dakota State University.
Education is very important to me and each emphasis area that I have chosen to pursue will play a
key role in my future plans and/or goals. Through my pursuit of a BGS degree, I have taken a wide
variety of courses which will help me to be more well-rounded in my knowledge and education,
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