Rediscovering the Essence of Tech

The way in which we speak definitely has a bearing on the impact of whatever it is we’re saying, for example if I speak confidently about something I’m trying to sell you, that might inspire you to have confidence in the product. Sometimes it’s not even a matter of emotion, but simply a matter of our choice of words. If I make mention of the tech industry for example instead of saying “technology” out in full, chances are the picture that forms in the mind of anyone who is listening to me is that which points to institutions such as Silicon Valley.

This mere abbreviation was perhaps convenient at first, but over the years it has probably lost its impact in that it suggests a focus on just one tiny corner of what technology really is.

I mean as part of the Outcomes Based Learning curriculum we were partially subjected to at school, one of the subjects I clearly remember enjoying was indeed that of Technology. I’m pretty sure the definition of what technology is relayed to us back then is different to that which we use today, perhaps rightfully so, but only to a certain extent I would think.

“The discipline dealing with the art or science of applying scientific knowledge to practical problems” is one definition I picked up from a desktop dictionary I use, which it gives as an alternative to the slightly broader definition which states that technology is “The practical application of science to commerce or industry.” I think this is exactly the reason why some kid born after the millennium will perhaps incorrectly refer to something like the latest app available in the app store as technology, but they won’t see something like a nut-cracking tool fashioned in the Stone Age as technology.

The true essence of tech resides in the basic principle of creating something, whether physically or conceptually, to make our lives easier.

I shudder to think about the balance between the use of technology for constructive purposes and destructive ones. The marvels of the combination of art and science which go into something like the ActOn Implants you’d get from your Periodontist is an example of the positive, constructive deployment of technology, while on the other hand something like a computer-guided nuclear missile warhead perhaps makes just as good use of technology, but for destructive purposes.

Considering how much money is pumped into the research and manufacturing which goes on around the likes of the Defence Industry (“defence is used loosely, of course”), compared to the money pumped into research and development in industries such as medicine, we sadly seem to be leaning a bit too much towards the destructive use of technology.

All’s not lost , of course, which is why it won’t cost you all that much money to get the dental implants you might require, in the same way that it won’t cost you all that much to gain access to pretty much all pieces of technology you need to genuinely make your life easier.