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22 Advantages of Technology

John Spacey, December 22, 2019 updated on April 25, 2023

Technology advantages are gains that are enjoyed by a society, community, organization or individual by using technology. Technology is the application of science and engineering to create value such as products, services, buildings and infrastructure. This is a basic characteristic of human civilization that is a persistent feature of history. The following are illustrative examples of advantages that can be ascribed to modern technology.

Productivity

Productivity is the amount of value that you create in an hour, month or year of work. For example, a farmer who creates enough food to feed thousands of people because she uses large scale machinery such as a combine harvester.

Efficiency

Efficiency is the effective use of resources to produce value. Modern technology is often extremely efficient. For example, the luminous efficacy of a candle is around 0.04% while the luminous efficacy of an LED light bulb can exceed 25% such that they are around 625× more efficient at producing light from energy.

Prices

Technology can reduce the prices of things due to productivity and efficiency.

Scale

Technology allows products and services to be produced at great scale to provide goods for large populations. For example, a factory that washes and packages 200,000 pounds of fruit a day with automation and a few dozen workers. It would likely be difficult to support the current quality of life of populous nations without using technology.

Risk Management

Technology can create a number of risks and problems such as environmental problems. However, it is equally possible and common for technology to reduce risks. For example, a smoke detector that reduces the risk of harm to people from a fire.

Safety

Infrastructure, equipment and services that improve safety such an aircraft that allows passengers to cross oceans safely.

Health

Technologies that prevent, cure or treat health problems. For example, an incubator for premature infants.

Communication

The ability to communicate with anyone anywhere using a large number of mediums and tools. For example, the ability to keep in touch with distant family members by telephone, email and video chat.

Knowledge

Technologies that facilitate the sharing and consumption of knowledge. For example, the internet represents the largest collection of information ever assembled and it's accessible to large populations.

Discovery

Tools for discovering new knowledge such as a scientific instrument, sensor or computer that can be used to discover and analyze information.

Exploration

Tools for exploring such as a sailboat with a navigation system or a spacecraft.

Entertainment

Entertaining experiences such as streaming media or a nightclub that uses digital music technologies.

Epic Meaning

Pursuits that feel meaningful to a person such as a video game that fulfills a sense of adventure.

Culture

Technology is often presented as a threat to traditional culture. However, technology also is the foundation of culture such as film, photography and digital music.

Connectedness

The ability to connect with people on a global basis. For example, an individual in a small remote town who can connect to other people in social media who share an enthusiasm for an obscure type of music.

Learning

Education technology such as digital media that is extremely engaging such that students find it effortless to learn things. For example, a game that makes learning vocabulary in a second language fun and fast.

Variety

The ability to access an incredible variety of products, services, media, knowledge, social connections and experiences. For example, an individual in a small town who can purchase millions of items from a single ecommerce service.

Comfort & Convenience

Reducing negative stimuli, challenges and effort to make life easy. For example, an advanced material that is used to make a pillow that is softer on the head than any natural material.

Architecture

Technologies that create comfortable, safe and efficient habitats and workspaces for people. For example, smart glass that helps to cool, heat and ventilate a room by responding to weather and internal conditions.

Creativity

Creativity tools such as a synthesizer that is used by a musician as an instrument.

Design

Tools for creating things. In future it may be possible for regular people to design extremely complex things such as medicines, buildings and spacecraft by using design tools that do most of the heavy lifting.

Managing Complexity

Information technology allows for the analysis, management, control, design and production of extremely complex things. For example, an earthquake detection system that can sense an earthquake near its source, calculate its impact and attempt to warn people and systems of the earthquake before it arrives at a location. This information can in be used to automatically secure things such as applying the breaks on a high speed train.

Notes

This article is part of a series that examines the advantages, disadvantages, risks, problems and ethics surrounding technology. Despite the positive depiction above, technology does have a number of potential disadvantages.