Whatever your opinions of the modern world and the impact that technology has had, it cannot be argued that there are many day-to-day tasks that have been made that much easier. From the weekly shop to finding answers to whatever question pops into your head, technology has completely changed the game over the last couple of decades.
If you are under the age of 25, this blog post may not strictly apply to you as, well, you probably won’t know any different. To Millennials, high-speed internet and mobile phones have been a constant, but those of a certain age, ahem, remember a much simpler time. Anyone can start an online business or blog these days and with services like those from WebsitePromoter you can be up and running quickly. There was a time when window shopping actually meant perusing through physical shops, as opposed to sitting at the computer comparing the prices from one website to another.
Online Shopping
Possibly the number one day-to-day use of modern technology is online shopping. Almost everyone has bought something online at one point or another and, with many websites offering next-day or even same-day delivery, even the most impatient of make full use of present capabilities.
For many, the primary use of online shopping is grocery shopping. Instead of parking up at the supermarket and manoeuvring a trolley through an obstacle course of other shoppers (who always seem to stop in the middle of an aisle), the modern-day shopper can have their shopping delivered to their doorstep.
In large cities such as London, where traffic can be a nightmare at the best of times, taking away the need to travel is the number one reason why many customers utilise online shopping. Substituted items, however, are the one annoyance that we have to contend with.
Donations
Another key aspect that modern technology gives us is online donation platforms. Before, fundraisers would have to go round and collect money from sponsors and send off the collection. Now, however, sponsors can make a donation via an online payment, which immediately makes its way to the receiving party.
It isn’t just fundraisers that make use of online donation platforms, as Muslims can pay their Zakat-ul-Fitr online, as well as other charitable contributions. Calculations can be made in an instance and payment completed in little more than a few clicks of a mouse.
Medical Advancement
Away from the average person’s general day-to-day use, the advancement of technology has been no more prevalent than it has been in medical science. The way in which doctors and surgeons are able to treat patients has completely changed with illnesses able to be diagnosed and treated much quicker and easier than ever before.
With the help of new technology and the medical discoveries that come as a result, the number of cancer survivors in the United States is expected to increase by over 20 million by the year 2026, which is 31% up from 2016 figures (15.5 million survivors). How patients are tested has been revolutionised over the last 10-20 years, helping doctors to diagnose quicker and more accurately than ever before.
Education
Back in the days before Google and we were assigned homework from our teachers, our port of call was the library and encyclopaedias. Now, almost any question can be answered with a simple search query that brings up the most relevant page on the internet in less than a second.
While not everything on the internet should be believed (open sources such as Wikipedia are continually scrutinised) there are many fantastic online resources available. Students are able to conduct thorough research in order to prepare for vital exams and projects all from in front of a computer screen. Possibly, even via a smartphone device, as the current trend of internet browsing is heading.
Technology has its critics, but it cannot be denied that as it has advanced so, too, has our quality of life. With medical science constantly evolving and our own day-to-day tasks being made easier, it is exciting to see what the next 10-15 years have in store.
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