Technological progress in the past century has its negative effect, despite its remarkable contribution. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Over the last century, modern technology has exerted tremendous influence on individuals and the society as a whole. It has revolutionized people’s original lifestyles and improved the quality of their lives to a very large extent. However, many of its negative side effects should no longer be neglected.
There is no denying that technological development such as the application of vehicles of all kinds contributes to mobility and convenience in people's lives. Flights and trains allow us to discover new cultures of distant continents swiftly. Cars and buses take us to our destination without any efforts on our own. Yet, this mobility and convenience is achieved at the environmental expense. Such vehicles release CO2 into the air, which is a major reason responsible for the ever devastating global warming.
Other technologies in the form of computers and the internet are penetrating into our lives on a daily basis. In spite of their great help in the workplace, education, entertainment and communication, problems of deteriorated eyesight, misleading information, the surge of pornography and disconnection with real people have emerged, to name but a few. The most worrying concern lying with these problems is their damage to young people in terms of their physical and psychological growth. Much evidence has suggested that quite a number of teenagers in Shanghai are addicted to the Internet and that their devotion to the cyber world has created serious negative effects in their school and home lives. Facts show that Internet addiction has become the biggest cause of juvenile delinquency, as youngsters tend to imitate crimes they have read about on seedy Websites or steal money to pay for the bill from internet bars .
Overall, as no one can plead ignorance of modern technology and its effect, it is important that we balance its benefits with an understanding of the price we have paid. Not until we realize both its pros and cons can we make the most of it.
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