More than just gadgets and gizmos, technology today is as personal to us as ever.
When we think about technology, we often imagine concepts that may be abstract from ourselves. Computers stacked up in a room running lines of code or a humanoid robot that can communicate its feelings. Imagining technology this way is fair, but it severs the connection that we as humans have to it. The truth is technology is much more interconnected with us than we think.
Right now, whether you’re on your phone, computer, or something else entirely, you know that you are reading this article on a piece of technology. For simplicity’s sake, let’s say you’re using a computer. What does a computer do? It acts as a tool for us. We use it to access entertainment, for communication, to organize ourselves, and much more. Essentially, we use it to make our lives easier. This is the purpose of technology: to apply scientific knowledge to any practical goals or needs we may have.
Tech Down to its Nuts, Bolts, and Wires
On your computer screen right now, little pixels are lighting up so that you can read this article. This is a form of electronic technology. Usually, this is what comes to mind for most people when they think about technology. The career potential in electronic technology is vast and worthy of a separate article. But some examples of people who work with this technology are computer architects, electrical engineers, and technicians. It uses circuits and electricity to function. You may be familiar with pictures of circuit boards — green panels with lines running on them in complicated patterns. This exists inside your computer monitor, and was likely put there using industrial technology.
Industrial technology is used to streamline the production of products. It allows for more efficient and accurate product manufacturing. This is the kind of technology used to build cars, phones and — you guessed it — computers. The people who work with this technology are industrial engineers, industrial production managers, and sales managers to name a few. Industrial technology itself is often composed of mechanical technology.
Mechanical technology is technology that causes motion. Wheels and gears are examples of mechanical technology because they produce a turning motion. These simple pieces of technology can be found in more complex machines like forklifts that are used on the factory floor to help with the production of computers. Mechanical technology is often designed by mechanical engineers and facilitated by mechanical technicians, but is also managed by many different kinds of engineers and technicians due to its essential nature.
Communication in the Modern Age
There’s also an important form of technology that pertains especially to the computer: communications technology. Communications technology is self-explanatory, its technology that facilitates communication. This includes everything from your grandma’s old rotary phone to the Internet! Thanks to communications technology, you’re reading this article right now. The Internet can definitely be considered one of the most major breakthroughs to occur in communications technology in recent years. People who work with this field of technology include computer support specialists, database administrators, and network systems administrators. If you want to take a broader look at it, you could say your favourite social media influencer also works with communications technology!
In modern times, this form of technology often converges with another, well-known type of tech known as information technology, or IT for short. Your computer is an example of IT as it stores data which you can then retrieve or process further. Because digital data is increasingly used for communication, we now use a new term to connect the two: information and communication technology (ITC). ITC careers include computer programmers, video game developers, IT security specialists, etc. If you want to learn more about what each tech field offers, Zippia’s career search is a great resource that can help you find career paths of interest.
Taking it a Step Further
These are some of the most common forms of tech that you have likely heard of before, but there are also more advanced technologies that may be more similar to the examples I gave you in the beginning. This includes artificial intelligence technology, which refers to human-like intelligence exhibited by machines. AI is used for a multitude of purposes that would typically require the human mind such as object recognition, decision making, problem solving, and most importantly, learning and improving. We’ll give you a more in-depth introduction to artificial intelligence in future articles, but for now it’s just as cool as it sounds.
There are more technologies that we haven’t mentioned in this article such as medical technology which helps diagnose and treat diseases, blockchain technology which stores data in groups known as “blocks”, and financial tech (FinTech) which involves transactions. These topics often overlap and will likely be explored in future articles, but the bottom line is clear. Technology is ever-changing in accordance to human needs and desires. To view technology as separate from ourselves overlooks how far we’ve come as a species due to our technological innovations. Instead of viewing technology as something intimidating and distant, it makes more sense to acknowledge that it can be something as familiar as a computer — a tool for all of us, not just engineers and scientists.
