With the enormous spread of digital devices, the twenty-first century is arguably an informationoriented society. Let’s think about our daily lives. How often do you use electronic devices? When you think about it, it is clear that we’re addicted to information and can’t live without it. You also recognize that knowing a lot brings you no additional quality of life and has no beneficial effects, but yet you cannot stop seeking it out.

  Many people say the development of data sharing and electronic equipment has made the world a better place to be, while others argue these developments are destroying us. So has the world really become a better place to live?

  Say you just got off a bus or subway and someone suddenly asks, “Can you describe the person that was sitting next to you or in front of you 10 seconds ago? What did he or she wear and how did they look like?” Chances are you would probably feel embarrassed by the questions and couldn’t answer them because you were too busy looking at your smartphone.

  Smartphones are the greatest fruit of the present day. However, as smartphone technology progresses, the more real communication between people we lose. A research team from Derby University, England has announced that five medical problems have been on the rise as a result of increased smartphone usage. They include a more forward head posture, carpal tunnel syndrome, digital dementia, insomnia, and dry eye syndrome. Even you, reading this article, have probably experienced symptoms of these medical problems.

  ‘Development’- is a wonderful word and it usually excites people. Those who claim the world is getting better and is becoming an easier place to live claim that advancements in scientific technology are a big reason for this improved quality of life. As modern technology and medicine have significantly advanced over the years, living to a hundred is no longer a pie in the sky dream. Living to one hundred is now naturally accepted in society.

  Let’s assume that you can only live to age 30. Your life is short, so you might want to do stimulating or exciting things quickly in order to ensure you enjoy your short life. However if you have a longer life, you have enough time to take on challenges in new fields and you can focus more on self-development.

  The point is that as we improve medical care and our standard of living, we have extended the lifespan of our societies so that people now have more time to think about themselves and plan their future over the long term. There is no rush to get things done in haste.

  So has the world really become a much easier place to live? What do you think? We can’t jump to any conclusion today on which opinion is really right or wrong. The only thing we know for sure is that it is not only important to pursue new developments and innovations, but equally important to think about preserving the past.