There is no doubt that technology has invaded almost every single aspect of our modern lives, with the result that it has changed the way we do nearly everything from communicating to commuting and education to entertainment. Technological innovations have truly revolutionized the world and made our lives easier in countless ways.

However, the question remains as to whether this newfound level of ease is actually improving our quality of life and making us healthier or if it’s doing the opposite and actually making us lazier and thus less healthy. With this in mind, we’ll now take a look at the various ways technology has helped to make us healthier and also the ways that it is harming our health.

Medical Advancements: The Ways in Which Technology
Is Improving Our Level of Health

Many of the most important technological innovations of the past few decades have been in the field of health and medicine, and for this reason, it is only logical to suggest that technology has definitely improved our overall level of health. Technology has directly contributed to lower rates of many diseases that were once common and fairly widespread, and in many cases, has even allowed us to virtually wipe out certain illnesses, including polio, tetanus, rabies, and whooping cough.

Technology has also contributed to longer average lifespans and a worldwide decrease in infant mortality rates. The World Health Organization notes that worldwide infant mortality rates have dropped by nearly half over the past 25 years alone, and there is plenty of evidence to suggest that technology and improved medical techniques have played a primary role in this decrease.

Furthermore, technology has resulted in dramatically improved medical treatments and advanced surgical methods. The use of arthroscopes,
endoscopes, and other advanced surgical techniques has made it far easier for doctors to treat a range of illnesses and health problems, while also making many surgeries far less risky than they once were. One only has to look back at the surgical techniques being employed just 50 to 100 years ago to understand how lucky we are to live in such a modern, technically advanced world.

Smartphones, Apps, and the Effect of Technology on Health

The impact of technology on our health isn’t only related to advancements in medical technology. The rise of computers and smartphones has also provided positive health benefits. Nowadays, it is possible to use the internet or various apps to get instant answers to health questions or find emergency medical assistance whenever necessary. At the same time, data is now being used to help better diagnose cancer and other health problems, and many researchers are now looking towards artificial intelligence to provide even more accurate diagnoses and make it easier to identify certain risk factors.

Smartphones, apps, and wearable technology have also made it much easier for the average person to monitor their overall level of health and fitness. Wearable technology like fitness trackers is one of the fastest growing areas of technology at the moment, and almost every major tech manufacturer is attempting to cash in on this growing trend. This type of technology is already making it much easier for people to take a more active role in their own health, while the internet has contributed to making our society far more health-conscious than ever before.

All of these factors would seem to suggest that technology has mostly positive impacts on our health, but like most things in life, the actual impacts of technology on our health aren’t always as clear-cut as they at first seem.

How Technology Is Harming Our Health

There is no doubt that technology has made our lives easier in many ways. Machinery and equipment have made certain manual labor jobs obsolete and have allowed us to handle many tasks far more easily than ever before. Unfortunately, our lives now also revolve around computers, smartphones, and TV screens, and we are continuing to turn more and more towards these screens for our leisure time. As a result, people tend to be far less physically active than at any time before in history, and this increased level of inactivity directly coincides with a rise in obesity and numerous other health issues.

There have been studies that have directly linked the amount a country spends on communication and information technologies to obesity, which suggests that the more technologically advanced a country becomes, the more likely it is that its citizens will be obese. Looking at this evidence, it is easy to assume that technology is actually harmful since it tends to make people more sedentary. However, the truth is that technology isn’t to blame for obesity or other health problems.

Instead, the blame should lie with people themselves for not staying active and taking a more proactive role in their health and fitness. At the end of the day, technology has given us many advantages and provided an endless number of positive benefits for our health. For this reason, it can be suggested that technology is not the cause of our current health problems, and if anything, it might actually hold the key to overcoming these problems and producing a society that is healthier than ever before.