Technology: The Hope for the Future

No matter what disadvantages technology may have, its benefits and relevance in today's day and age is undeniable. Here is a story of a small town girl and how technology has played an important role in her life.

Shraddha* is a bubbly and hardworking cashier at the Bharath Bookmark outlet near Tiger Circle, Manipal. She is 22 years old, a localite and she has been working in this shop for 8 months now. She told me how technology has drastically improved the way things are run nowadays. She used to initially work in a bookshop which had no computers and bills had to be handwritten. She said that the technology-deficit system had several flaws. It was difficult to keep track of the inventory and it doubled her workload. If any item went missing, they were blamed and had to pay for the loss themselves. It created unnecessary pressure and prevented her from enjoying work. She was not at satisfied with her job so she left it.

After leaving her job at that place she joined Bharath Bookmark which has a completely computerized system. All items are bar coded and all you need is a bar code reader and voila, there is your bill. It prevents any sort of tampering with rates and makes the work of the cashiers twice as faster. As it is a large store it helps keep track of their vast inventory. Corresponding with the various companies who supply the stocks has become easier through email. Also, she spoke of the recently installed CCTV cameras in the store which has prevented lots of loss by petty thefts. She further went on to tell how much technology has helped her in her in her daily life. WhatsApp and Skype she says and inextricable parts of her life. Her sister works in Chennai  and they often video chat on Skype. Shraddha also added that although technology has multiple benefits it has equal number of disadvantages too. She says it’s a fifty-fifty ratio. Technology may have made work faster and more efficient, but at the same time it means people are losing their jobs as well because machines are replacing them. But at the end of the day there is no denying how integral a part of our life technology and internet has become.

*names have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals.