Can+our+inventions+control+our+destinies?

=//Are we the masters of our technology?//= =//Do our tools shape our lives and cultures?//= =//How much of our way of life is within our control?//= =//What purpose do humans have in a society shaped by the needs and actions of technology?//=

These questions are compelling as much as they are an integral part of human development. Throughout our long history, humankind had progressed from a group of simple hunter-gatherers to an advanced, dynamic society which continues to develop and innovate until today. Aside from that however, there have been many arguments about how much do we actually hold control of over technology, and how affected our lives really were from the existence and advancement of technology. Other points to wonder are the myriad effects that comes to human lives and cultures as a result of technological advancement, as well as the question whether it is us humans or technology which has a greater role in shaping the society.

The most important aspect of technology is that it had been developed to accomodate and sustain the increasing needs of humankind in the past, when early humans made the first transition from a hunter-gatherer lifestyle to that of a more agricultural one. During those times, the discovery of metallurgy and early irrigation canals led to the first human settlements, which gradually grew into big cities and sustained further growth in the future due to the lesser need of hunting and the new possibilities brought by those inventions. Tools are unarguably the shapers of human life and culture throughout the ages in that regard, as many of our daily activities and way of thinking are always affected by them alone. A far modern example would be internet and television and how our lives are affected by subliminal promotion and advertising at every click we do when we're browsing through Telly channels and Internet sites. So far, nothing has managed to circumvent their hold and influence in our lives, as without them, world economy would stop or simply grind to a halt. Without modern technology, the infrastructure necessary to sustain our current lifestyle would be rendered unsustainable, and we would be forced to go back to a lifestyle which many of us might've forgotten.

Aside from the hold and influence modern technology has over our lifestyle, there are also many ways in which technology had shaped certain role/s in society. The Foundation of several jobs in the modern century was one of them. Without the proliferation of digital technology, jobs like computer programmers and telecommunications management would probably not exist anymore - since they rely mostly on digital technology tobe of any use. Removing the existence of digital technology would simply cause widespread unemployment at this stage in our development. Like it or not, humankind must adapt to technological progress, because it is now the lifeline of the human race. We may have created technology, but our lifestyle, habits as well as our employment had been increasingly reliant upon it. And that will continue to exist as long and as far as we exist on this planet....