Technology has existed and been developed for a long time, but would it be so bad if we stopped putting so much focus on developing it even more?
Now, I don’t mean that we should stop coming up with new ideas or stop the creation of new inventions; rather, we could stop developing new and better computer chips.
People have worked to improve computer chips ever since they were created, and technology has made possible to fit a terabyte of storage into something that can fit in our pocket. I don’t know about you but I don’t know anyone who has come even close to filling that terabyte of storage.
These chips created for everyday products not only have become impractical in their size and use, but they are also getting expensive. Data has shown that the exponential growth of new chips was more than $300 million back in 2014, and this cost has since increased.
Isn’t there something better we could do with that money? I don’t believe the storage, memory and processing power upgrades are really worth the extreme cost.
While technology is accessible in most places, there are other developing nations struggling to get their hands on even outdated technology.
Imagine having to use a computer from the ’90s or early ’00s to try to keep up with today’s world. You would probably struggle to run basic applications or most programs available to us now.
Maybe we could spend some of those hundreds of millions of dollars to give people access to better technology, not only phones and computers but everything else we have, from air conditioning to smart whiteboards in schools.
Most of us couldn’t live without the technology we have, so why are we making other people live without it?
I understand people wanting new things: new cars, the latest version of the iPhone or new and convenient smart technology in their homes. More and more convenient, new and improved, bigger —or smaller— and better. We don’t need this stuff.
Instead of slightly improving our own homes and lives, maybe we could focus on granting technology accessibility to everyone in the world.
Everybody deserves the best use of this miracle we have called technology.
–Joseph Guymon
Orem, Utah
