What Is Technology?

Technology

Technology is the application of knowledge to achieve practical goals. It encompasses the development, use, and manipulation of tools, machinery, vehicles, buildings, and the environments surrounding them. It also includes the enabling and supporting infrastructures. It may be viewed as an activity distinct from science or engineering, although it predates both.

Technology can enhance culture in creative ways, but it can also enable oppressive forms of control and war via tools such as guns. It is possible to view technology as a cultural force that has as its basis the invention of writing, which enabled scientific ideas to be shared more easily and rapidly.

In general, the goal of technology is to bring about a situation closer to the way one wishes it to be. Thus, it is a highly individual and subjective activity. Individual inventiveness is essential, but social and economic forces strongly influence what technologies are undertaken, paid attention to, invested in, and used. Those forces include consumer acceptance, patent laws, availability of risk capital, government policy, local and national regulations, media attention and the balance of economic competition, tax incentives and scientific discovery.

Most of the time, technological decisions are made on a basis of incomplete information and are subject to political factors that are at least as important as technical ones. Scientists, mathematicians, and engineers play a special role in looking as far ahead and as far afield as is feasible to estimate benefits, side effects, and risks of various technology options. They can help in the process by designing adequate detection devices and monitoring techniques, and by setting up procedures for the collection and evaluation of relevant data.

Every engineering design operates within constraints, which must be identified and taken into account. Some of these are absolute (physical laws, physical properties), others have some flexibility (economical limits, regulatory oversight, potential disruption of natural systems), and still more are ethical and moral (disadvantages for some individuals, risk to future generations). An optimum design takes all of these into account and strikes some reasonable compromise among them.

The exploitation of technology allows companies to step up their game against their competitors. It enables them to come up with innovative products and services that can make them stand out in the market. It also helps them to improve their customer sales and employee productivity.

Moreover, technology is also used in education to prepare students for the workplace of tomorrow. By teaching them to use computers and other technological tools, they will be able to perform their tasks more efficiently and effectively. This can be done through online training or through face to face workshops. In both cases, these are essential steps for the successful career of students in the field of technology. This is because many jobs nowadays require applicants to have technical skills. Moreover, technology has been an essential resource for entrepreneurs to launch their startups and raise funds. They can use different technological applications to create a unique business plan and make their ventures a success.