Technology is the application of conceptual knowledge to organised tasks involving people and machines that meet sustainable goals. It is a broad term that encompasses all human efforts to create tools and artifacts, from utensils to computers, including their design and manufacture. It also includes the use of those tools, and the systems by which they are used. Technological processes are often complex, requiring significant engineering and mathematical effort to create and maintain. In the modern world, technological systems have grown so complex that they require special training for their designers, builders, and users.
Technology has a wide range of uses and is an essential part of many modern industries, including agriculture, manufacturing, communications, transportation, energy, banking, finance, and health care. It can have a positive impact on human welfare, increasing prosperity and comfort, improving health and safety, and expanding knowledge. However, it can also cause damage to the environment, disrupt existing social hierarchies, and harm individuals or groups. It is therefore important to consider the effects of technology and make decisions about its use with care.
In a consumer context, technology is associated with gadgets such as mobile phones, tablets, computers, TVs, HiFis, cars, drones, robot grass cutters etc. The term can also be applied to other forms of technology such as computer programming, artificial intelligence and machine learning.
Several books have been written about technology, including the dystopian novels Brave New World and Nineteen Eighty-Four, the anti-technological treatise Industrial Society and Its Future by Jacques Ellul, and the manifestos of the Unabomber and Theodore Kaczynski (aka The Unspeakable). These works critique the dangers of industrialization and the increasing control of society by technological systems.
Modern technology has made it possible to study the universe in more detail than ever before. Scientists have created larger particle accelerators such as the Large Hadron Collider, and underground detectors such as LIGO have begun to detect gravitational waves. Technology has helped to increase our understanding of the natural world, and improve the lives of humans by allowing us to travel farther than ever before and explore other planets.
In education, technology is used to make teaching and learning more engaging. Children can interact with teachers and other students through virtual classrooms, and can practice their skills through online games and activities. The use of technology in schools also helps students with attention disorders, as it provides them with a way to engage with their studies in a more flexible manner.
Another advantage of technology is that it democratizes access to information, making it easier for everyone to learn anything they want. Some 6.3 million searches are conducted every minute on Google, showing the huge thirst for knowledge that is out there. This can be met by online learning platforms, which allow students to take courses from the most prestigious universities around the world without having to leave the comfort of their homes. They can also access a vast amount of educational resources and materials for free, which has the potential to greatly expand their horizons.