How technology has improved human life by enhancing the daily functions

Technology has grown to become part of human life. Right now, the two are not separable. Society depends on technology in almost all sectors. Human beings use and depend on technology to fulfill daily needs and demands. Since its invention, technology has evolved to make every aspect of life easier than it was before. A few decades ago, people used more resources, more time, and longer routes to complete very simple life tasks. For example, without mobile phones, one would take days before communicating with long-distance family members and friends. The easiest means of communication was through post office stamps. Currently, it takes seconds to communicate with somebody on a different continent. There are different types of technology, ranging from the simplest such as wristwatch to heavy machines used in farms to replace human labor. The purpose of this paper is to explore how technology has improved human life by enhancing the daily functions in sectors such as transportation, communications, agriculture, healthcare, and education. 

Transportation is one of the life sectors greatly impacted by technology. People need to move from one place to another. Goods must also be transported from one place to another. Business organizations and individuals depend on transportation in one way or another to make life complete and simple. Before technology, people relied on traditional vessels such as canoes, ships, carts, and animals such as camels. Through technology, four types of transport have been enhanced. These are road transport, air transport, water transport, and space transportation (Urry, 2016). Some specific improvements in the transportation industry are Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and App Developments for more efficient transport. 

GPS refers to a satellite navigation system that is used in determining the exact positions of objects on the ground. This piece of technology was used for the first time in the 1960s by the United States of America military. A few decades later, its use expanded to civilians who relied on GPS for various functions such as monitoring property (Larson, 2019). In today’s world, GPS receivers are found in products such as GIS devices, smartphones, watches used for exercise, automobiles, and smartphones, among other commercial products. Individuals and businesses use GPS to track their day-to-day activities and the movement of various goods to protect them against theft or misplacement. 

The GPS is a system consisting of 24 satellites that were deployed 12,000 miles above the surface of the earth. The satellites orbit the earth once every 12 hours. They move at a fast speed of about 7,000 miles per hour (Larson, 2019). They are also spread in such a way that at any given time, four satellites can be accessed through a direct line of sight from any part of the world. Each of them gives comprehensive information on its current position, time, and orbit. To determine a receiver’s exact location, a triangulation combination of broadcasts from three satellites is required. Ideally, connection to four satellites is preferred due to greater accuracy. 

GPS technology is currently used in the transport industry in several ways. In air transport, it is used to navigate airplanes, both on-air and on the ground. This is an important use because it becomes easy to know a plane’s course of movement and if there is a need to redirect the pilots. Secondly, military emergency crews use the technology to locate people in need of help and respond in god time. Businesses also use the technology to locate their cars and other assets (Larson, 2019). Since its invention, GPS technology has helped by simplifying emergency responses and protecting assets from getting lost or being stolen. 

Computer and mobile phone Apps are among the commonly used pieces of technology. Several service providers have developed applications that enable them to reach their customers as well as making self-service provision simple. These Apps are easy to understand and use because they contain everything that the user might need (Urry, 2016). The transport industry also uses Apps to facilitate various services. Examples of where the technology is used are in road transport to deliver goods and for taxi services. Taxis are widely used, with millions of people seeking services every day. Global services such as Uber have mobile phone applications used to connect drivers and customers. To hire an Uber, one uses the App to find a nearby driver who also uses the same technology to locate the customer and to calculate the distance traveled for billing. 

The App system has improved everyday life by making human transportation simpler and cheaper. Most of the systems work all day and all night. This means that whatever the time, one will get a means of transport. They are also mobile and can access all places with road networks. The taxis are also relatively cheaper than the other transport vessels and service providers over a short distance (Urry, 2016). 

Mobile Apps are also used for delivery services. Online shopping is one of the latest developments in technology and has gained popularity due to its convenience. There are some retailers who deliver products to their customers’ doorsteps and others who require customers to pick the items from the nearest stores. The food industry also uses the services of transporters to deliver to its customers (Urry, 2016). Some of the delivery service providers and online retailers use mobile Apps to reach their consumers, to calculate charges, and for billing. 

Communication is another human sector which has been greatly impacted by technology. Today, communication impacts businesses and society by making an exchange of information and ideas more effectively. There are various forms of technology used in communication, such as the internet, e-mail, mobile phones, computers, and other video-based communications. Communication is now a necessity that humans cannot do without (Swaramarinda, 2018). The simplest but remarkable improvement in this sector is that unlike the traditional forms of communication, which would take hours to days to deliver a message, it now takes seconds to send a message to any place. The communication used depends on the distance involved and the nature of the information. 

Long-distance communication involves two individuals or parties who are in different geographical locations. The distance involved can be buildings apart within the same community or as far as continents apart. Whatever the distance, communication is simple and can take as short as seconds due to technology. Long-distance communication can occur between family members, friends, business partners, or between a client and an organization. Before modern technology, mails were the most reliable means of communication, and it could take days or weeks to reach the targeted audience (Swaramarinda, 2018). The choice of the preferred mode of communication over a long distance depends on the type or nature of the message. It can be formal or informal communication. 

Informal communication takes place between friends and relatives. It has no official format or procedure that must be followed. It can also take place at any time of the day. Technological devices used for informal communication include mobile phones and computers. The information can be delivered through message services, voice calls, video chat, and social media (Crowley & Heyer, 2015). Mobile phones are the most reliable form because of its convenience and cost. Smartphones enable communication through messaging, video calls, and voice calls. Network providers also have international call services that are cheap, making communication easier and affordable. 

Social media is arguably the most popular means of communication. Billions of people belong to one or more platforms and are able to connect to other users worldwide. Common social media platforms include Facebook, WhatsApp Messenger, Telegram, Instagram, Twitter, and Google. One is required to create an account to join any platform. Social media accounts have big or no limits on friendship and followers (Anderson & Jiang, 2018). Also, people from any part of the globe can connect with one another within the established guidelines and regulations. A post from one account will reach the general public immediately and can trigger a global conversation immediately. 

Formal communications have an official outlook and should follow some set of rules and regulations. Long-distance official communications take place between business organizations and clients, customers, partners, stakeholders, or organizations’ officials. The communicating parties can use mobile phones, e-mails, video teleconferencing, or official social media groups (Crowley & Heyer, 2015). E-mails are popular for being the channel known for official communication. Even though social media is famous for non-official communication, organizations and staff members have official groups and pages where communication takes place (Swaramarinda, 2018). Such groups have limited membership, and the ability to post as every piece of information is verified before being sent to the public. 

Besides long-distance communication, technology also aids short-distance communication, especially among members of the same organization. Schools, healthcare organizations, and businesses use technology to coordinate communication among members without constant movements within the organization to deliver a simple message. Nowadays, almost all offices are fitted with wireless phones interconnected within the premises (Anderson & Jiang, 2018). A quick information such as reminding an officer to send a mail takes place via the phones and takes place within seconds, unlike when one walks from one office to another to deliver the same information. 

In healthcare organizations, collaboration between departments and professionals is the key to good patient care. Patients have their biodata, and history has taken the moment they get into the facility. The information will be needed throughout the patients’ dealings with the hospital. This means that the data must be stored and shared when necessary. Therefore, hospitals use a piece of technology called electronic health records (EHR) to obtain, store, and disseminate patient information (Crowley & Heyer, 2015). Once taken, the information is stored in the system, and any authorized member of the organization can log in to access it. 

Technology has played a great role in the development of the agricultural industry. Today, one can use biotechnology to grow crops in a desert. One can also use genetic engineering technology to find and plant a crop breed with the desired genes and also come up with pest-resistant breeds. Technology is also used in agriculture to simplify work that would have taken much resources and time to do using human labor (Fountas et al., 2015). An example is the invention of the cotton gin in Southern America, which increased the speed of separating cotton seeds from the soft fiber by fifty folds. The cotton industry was on the verge of falling, but the invention revived it and made cotton one of the most important cash crops in the region. 

Smart farming involves integrating advanced technologies into farming practices to improve crop production, the quality of agricultural products, and to enhance efficiency. Smart farming also improves the quality of farmworkers' lives and health because they are relieved of heavy farm duties by machines (Walter, Finger, Huber, & Buchmann, 2017). Almost all aspects of farming are impacted by smart agriculture, beginning from planting to watering and harvesting. Smart power systems are used in areas such as autonomous and robotic labor, driverless tractors, planting, watering, weeding, and harvesting. 

Agriculture used to be the most labor-intensive sector, with humans being used right from the preparation of seeds to harvesting. This trend could lead to low yields, high costs of farming, and time-wasting, which in turn reduced the profit margins. Many agricultural tasks are repetitive and demanding (Walter et al., 2017). They can also be standardized, making them easy to be completed through automation. One of the first inventions was the cotton gin, which replaced humans from manual processing of harvested cotton. 

Tractors are common agricultural tools used for various purposes, depending on the farm type and the tractor’s ancillary equipment configuration. For example, there are tractors used for plowing, watering, harvesting, among other functions. With the driverless car's technology on the verge of being launched, it will be easy to minimize human labor by having automated tractors. 

Through the Subsurface Drip Irrigation (SDI) technology, farmers have the liberty to choose when to water their crops and the amount of water to use (Walter et al., 2017). The irrigation machines are combined with IoT-sensors to detect soil moisture levels and water the plants with minimal human labor. 

Through smart farm machines, farmers are able to harvest large amounts of crops and fruits from fields, trees, and vines. These machines are automated and are able to harvest ripe farm products within a remarkably reduced time (Walter et al., 2017). 

Farm management is a term used to refer to the techniques used to ensure continued productivity and profitability of a farm. In this regard, a farm is just like a business organization that requires proper management to thrive. In large-scale farming, there are farm managers who are accountable to the farm owners. Use of management software such as the Agrivi Farm Management Software aids in farm processes such as planning, monitoring, and analysis of various activities (Fountas et al., 2015). Through the software, all the elements of management only require few clicks, unlike traditional management systems, which would require walking from one sector to the others. 

The software allows a farm manager to get a weather forecast for as long as seven days. It is also possible to analyze previous 3-year weather and field patterns. Should there be a pest threat, the manager will be alarmed in good time through the advanced detection algorithm. This function reduces late reaction to pests, thereby improving response outcomes (Fountas et al., 2015). 

Farmers and farm managers must keep records of the assets, sales, and purchases for proper management. The Agrivi software has a farm economics function used to put financial records and documents in one place. Various activities, such as sales, expenditure, and additional capital, are also tracked using the same function. 

Farm resources and inventory include machinery, fields under the same management, seasonal workers, and central registry employees. All of these need proper management to avoid preventable losses (Fountas et al., 2015). The Agrivi software has a function named resources and inventory for this function. 

Technology is being used in healthcare to improve the quality of patient care and to promote general health. The aspects of the healthcare system affected by technology include record system, drug administration, and patient-caregiver interaction through telehealth, access to patient information, diagnosis, and general treatment (Kirkendall, 2017). For example, there are various technology-based imaging techniques used to diagnose diseases within a short time. The diagnosis methods are fast and help to detect diseases in time early enough for timely intervention. Late diagnosis is one of the hindrances to effective treatment outcomes (Satterfield, 2015). Healthcare technology continues to improve as scientists are working on projects that will make care delivery even better. 

The quality of patient care and the resultant outcome heavily rely on information at different levels. Patients and health professionals need to exchange information. The healthcare workers also need to share information between them through collaboration towards better treatment. Technology has improved health information exchange by enhancing communication between patients and caregivers, enhancing collaboration, and facilitating public health education. 

The moment a patient visits any healthcare facility, his/her condition is assessed through history taking, which involves recording biodata, presenting illness, and other factors associated with the illness or general patient health. The data is now taken through electronic health record technology, which enables the storage of the information in an electronic system (Kohli & Tan, 2016). Before, a manual data record system was used, and it was problematic when retrieving or sharing the information. Others would get lost, leading to a fresh process. With the (EHR), there is a standardized method of collecting patient information, a safe way of storing it, and a faster way of sharing the information with the relevant parties through the hospital’s computer system. Patients and healthcare personnel can also communicate through telehealth, a monitoring technology that enables distant monitoring of patient conditions and progress using mobile devices. 

Collaboration during patient treatment is crucial because it enables the exchange of ideas and information for the betterment of the process. Collaboration begins by sharing patient information with authorized individuals through the EHR system (Kohli & Tan, 2016). The professionals will analyze the data and contribute to the process by giving ideas or completing care tasks. Through technology, patients’ family members or primary caregivers can collaborate with healthcare workers to know patients’ progress and know possible areas of intervention. 

Public health education involves teaching patients and the general public how to prevent and manage diseases through self-management techniques and proper patient-handling. Technology has made it easy for healthcare professionals to provide public health education. Social media is the most commonly used piece of technology. Health officers create social media pages and groups through which they send messages and information regarding diseases and general health (Satterfield, 2015). In other instances, mobile phones are used to send regular health tips to subscribers and patients to remind them of how to stay away from diseases. An informed public is resourceful to the care process. Also, prevention is the best way of reducing disease prevalence. Therefore, public health technology should get more attention. 

Patient health records are used by healthcare professionals within an institution to assess patient-conditions, history, and to develop care plans. Hospital managements also use the records to evaluate their overall care quality, patient outcomes, and other management purposes. This means that the records need to be readily available at any given time. Hospitals’ managements now use EHR to check, validate, and bill patient services. The records are also documented through electronic systems for a given number of years to make them accessible in case of any legal need (Kohli & Tan, 2016). Technology has, therefore, made hospital management simpler by enhancing instant access to information. 

During treatment, healthcare professionals need to have patient information ready for access. Poor instant access to the information may lead to time-wasting and other treatment errors. This is why many institutions have record systems that are integrated into mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones used by healthcare workers (Kohli & Tan, 2016). While at the patient’s bedside, it will take seconds to access the information. With such integrated information systems, there is a need to ensure privacy and confidentiality. Therefore, hospitals have different levels of securities, and only authorized individuals will access a patient’s information by logging in using secret passwords. 

Teachers and students need to access learning materials and information as fast as possible to improve the learning process. Today, there are e-books that allow students to have all the study materials in their mobile devices (McKnight et al., 2016). During a learning process, it will only take seconds to access the e-book and the specific topic of the session. The internet technology is another source of instant access (Heflin, Shewmaker, & Nguyen, 2017). There is a lot of information online posted in various databases and by various professionals. Searching for given information online will only take seconds. 

Interaction between teachers and students is needed in class and outside classrooms. Traditional learning used to take place mostly in classrooms. This restricted interaction complicated learning as well as making it a time-consuming process. With the advancement in technology, students and communicate with their teachers anytime, anywhere. Social media technology is being used to make discussion groups. A whole session can take place among members of a class or group social media platform. Currently, there is e-learning where one can take a course and do everything via the internet to complete the course (McKnight et al., 2016). The e-learning platforms have made learning easier and less expensive than before. 

Technological improvement is a process, and it continues to impact other life sectors. A technology that appears complex today may look very simple in the near future. The improvement is making life easier because many functions are becoming fast, cheap, less manual, and more integrated. The transportation sector continues to evolve, and soon, cars will become completely automated. Communication technology is making the globe look like a small community where people can share ideas and get information all the time without traveling. Agriculture, education, and healthcare are also evolving for the better. For example, virtual learning in nursing is another technology being worked on. 

References 

Anderson, M., & Jiang, J. (2018). Teens, social media & technology 2018. Pew Research Center , 31 , 2018. 

Crowley, D., & Heyer, P. (2015). Communication in history: Technology, culture, society . Routledge. 

Fountas, S., Carli, G., Sørensen, C. G., Tsiropoulos, Z., Cavalaris, C., Vatsanidou, A., ... & Tisserye, B. (2015). Farm management information systems: Current situation and future perspectives. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture , 115 , 40-50. 

Heflin, H., Shewmaker, J., & Nguyen, J. (2017). Impact of mobile technology on student attitudes, engagement, and learning. Computers & Education , 107 , 91-99. 

Kirkendall, E. S. (2017). Using Information Technology to Improve the Quality of Pediatric Healthcare. Current Treatment Options in Pediatrics , 3 (4), 386-394. 

Kohli, R., & Tan, S. S. L. (2016). Electronic health records: how can IS researchers contribute to transforming healthcare?. Mis Quarterly , 40 (3), 553-573. 

Larson, K. M. (2019). Unanticipated Uses of the Global Positioning System. Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences . 

McKnight, K., O'Malley, K., Ruzic, R., Horsley, M. K., Franey, J. J., & Bassett, K. (2016). Teaching in a digital age: How educators use technology to improve student learning. Journal of research on technology in education , 48 (3), 194-211. 

Satterfield, H. M. (2015). Technology use in health education: A review and future implications. The Online Journal of Distance Education and e-Learning , 3 (2), 87. 

Swaramarinda, D. R. (2018). The usefulness of information and communication technology in entrepreneurship subject. Journal of Entrepreneurship Education , 21 (3), 1-10. 

Urry, J. (2016). Mobilities: new perspectives on transport and society . Routledge. 

Walter, A., Finger, R., Huber, R., & Buchmann, N. (2017). Opinion: Smart farming is key to developing sustainable agriculture. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , 114 (24), 6148-6150.