What is Technology?

1. Why is technology needed in our lives?

1.1. Technology is essential in our day to day lives. Just imagine your life without it! It goes a bit deeper than that - if we didnt have technology, we wouldn't have any of the things you can see around you. As we have learned throughout our course material, and from Kevin Kelly's Ted Talk, technology is everything that we have made as humans. Without technology, we would not have been able to progress as humans.

2. **REFERENCES** John Dyer. (2020, March 5). Defining the word "technology" ... four times. John Dyer. https://j.hn/defining-the-word-technology-four-times/ Theirer, A. (2021, July 25). Defining "technology". Technology Liberation Front. https://techliberation.com/2014/04/29/defining-technology/ Kelly, (2010). Kevin Kelly tells technology's epic story. Kevin Kelly, YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GS1xL1qcBa4. technology | Definition, Examples, Types, & Facts. (n.d.). Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/technology/technology (Main image credits: TheBlogger, 2016)

3. What i thought it was before this module: (My opinion)

3.1. Before reading this module, i used to think that technology is anything that had a circuit board, or anything battery-powered that we interact with every day. Before this module, I used to think that it was just limited to items like our smartphones, computers, or any other electronically powered items that we interact with daily. Although my previous thinking was not exactly wrong, it was only scratching the surface on what technology can be defined as. (Image: Freepik, 2019)

4. What i think it is now after this module:

4.1. "Technology is anything that we have created with materials that didnt exist before humans" (Dyer, 2009) (Image: Workday, 2020)

4.2. As Kevin Kelly puts it: "Technology is more than the stuff in your pocket, more than just gadgets, more than just what people invent, it's about a greater story, one that started billions of years ago" (Kelly, 2010)

4.3. After reading this module, i now see that technology is not just limited to anything with a circuit board, but can involve anything that had a planning, designing and manufacturing process, including the process itself. (Image: Soellner, 2017)

4.3.1. Technology is not just the final products that are made, but the entire manufacturing process: "Technology is not just about the vat holding the molten steel for our next car or the robot putting together our next computer, but also the entire process" (Dyer, 2009)

4.4. Any Scientific development that benefits us as humans: "the application of scientific knowledge to the practical aims of human life" (Britannica, 2022) (Image: York University)

5. How have things changed?

5.1. Items like the iPhone have changed the definition of technology and how we define it today. It has pushed the industry forward, making companies invest more money into research and development, which leads to more technological breakthroughs. These breakthroughs can change the scope of technology. In the past 10 years, we have seen many breakthroughs and leaps in technology - from the release of the first iPhone to powerful gaming PCs and laptops. Each time there is a major technological breakthrough, the definition of what technology is changes - this is why, as stated in our course material by Thomas Hughes, "Technology is messy and complex. It is difficult to define and to understand." (Hughes, 2004). Technology may seem like a simple thing to define, but it is way more complex. (Image: Canoopsy, 2017)