Has automation been mainly beneficial?
Many things that used to be done in the home by hand are now being done by machines. Does this development bring more advantages or disadvantages?
Modal Solution
Technology has allowed us to automate a majority of the tasks that we used to do by hand. For instance, washing machines have replaced washing clothes by hand. There is an overwhelming number of advantages of this development that far outweigh the disadvantages, the main benefit being the improved efficiency in various areas.
The one disadvantage that arises from this trend is that many people have lost their jobs as a result of automation. For example, factory workers were an important part of an assembly plant. However, robots have completely replaced this job in every part of the world, resulting in job redundancy. Unemployment has a number of adverse effects on people, including worsened financial situation, and physical and mental health.
On the other hand, there are many positive outcomes that have come out of this. The main one is that this has improved efficiency in many areas, an important one being food production. As a result of automation, companies were able to increase their food production and therefore feed a greater number of people. This is the reason why global starvation rates have fallen, lifting many people out of famine.
In conclusion, automation caused many people to lose their jobs. However, automation also improved the efficiency of production in various sectors, especially food production, which helped solve the problem of malnutrition and food shortage. Hence, I believe that automation has been mostly beneficial.