Development of modern technology has made our lives convenient in many ways. With advanced technology, we are able to live high quality lives. However, modern technology has brought problems such as environment pollution and human alienation. In my opinion, human isolation caused by technological development is due to information gap and the loss of identity.
First, human isolation happens when people experience information disparity due to rapid development of technology. Enhancement of technology, especially the development of electronics, has made it easier for people to access media. Through media, people face loads of information that are essential in order to get along with the fast developing society. While some people acquire knowledge with no problem, others who lack the ability of understanding newly acquired information suffer from isolation. According to Manuel Castells, a sociologist in the University of Paris, information technology and the ability to use it and adapt it, is the critical factor in generating and accessing wealth, power, and knowledge in our time. This indicates that people who have trouble with using new information will probably undergo hardship when adapting to the fast-developing society by losing wealth, power and knowledge. Thus, technology development leads to human alienation by causing information gap between people with differing levels of ability to understand and acquire new information.
Second, development of modern technology causes human isolation in that it makes people lose their identity. Modern technology has enabled the implementation of artificial intelligence. Especially, robots are able to accomplish various types of duties in our society and made people lose their jobs. Looking at robots completing hard tasks that seems to be difficult for humans to accomplish, people feel a sense of inferiority, and lose their identity. According to a study in the International Journal of Social Robotics, robots that have human-like appearance threatens the distinctiveness and identity of human beings. Loss of human identity is directly related to human isolation since is makes people feel that they are not important elements of the current society due to the advent of robots. Therefore, human isolation due to the development of modern technology because people lose their identity with the appearance of artificial intelligence.
In conclusion, technological development in modern society has brought human isolation by causing information disparity between those who manage to acquire new information well and others how have trouble doing so. Moreover, the development of artificial intelligence hastened human alienation because robots make people lose identity.