IELTS essay - Technological progress in the past century has its negative effect, despite its remarkable contribution. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Technological progress began in the late 18^th century and the 19^th century but that brought about more benefits than harms but the technological progress of the 20^th century has crossed all boundaries that human beings could ever envisage. I definitely agree with the statement that technological progress has its dark side also despite its stupendous contribution.

The most significant progress in the 20th century is in the field of Information Technology. It has brought a revolution in the field of communication. Distances are no longer a barrier and the whole big planet Earth has become a global village. However, the same technology when used by terrorists can cause havoc in the life of humans. For example, who has not heard of the 26^th November terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India? All the planning was done by terrorist with the help of the latest communication technology.

In the field of transport, we have superfast jet planes and international tourism has become the backbone of many economies of the world, but this has also lead to environmental pollution and excessive consumption of fossil fuels which is a non-renewable energy source. It has been rightly said that “Modern technology, owes ecology, an apology.” What is more, in the quest for an unending source of energy, progress has been made in the field of nuclear technology but the construction of a nuclear power plant can also cause major threat to human life if a radiation leak occurred.

Technological progress has left no place untouched. Even in homes, people have the microwave ovens, dishwashers and washing machines to make life simpler but what is seen is that people have lost moral values and face to face communication has taken a back seat. In offices, computers finish work in minutes which earlier took days to complete but it has been seen that the expectation for work has also risen and men have had to become workaholics. Automation has made possible mass production but unemployment has also risen.

To put it in a nutshell, I pen down saying that, technological progress has both pros and cons and the onus lies on us to use it for our benefit only otherwise it can become a boomerang for humanity and ultimately destroy our planet.