Negative Effects Of Technology On American Society

Throughout history technology has played a major role in shaping the United States into what it is today. Technology has formed new eras and very important moments in American history. Even though technology was primarily made to make life easier, it often had some negative effects on society. Automobiles and steel plows are just two technological advances that have had both negative and positive effects on American society. While the first automobiles were made in Europe and adopted by Americans, the automobile affected American society greatly. Henry Ford was one of many people that helped flourish the popularity of automobiles in America. He made his car as affordable as possible and he paid his workers enough money so they would be

People were able to get to places faster without relying on walking or horses for transportation. Walking or riding a horse was not very suitable for the winter, but a car was. People started to settle along these roads. Their houses began to come with garages and driveways, something that was never seen before. The launch of gas stations, repair shops, and shopping centers were all in result from the introduction of the automobile. These different shops and centers boosted the economy because now more money was able to be made and people had more job opportunities. Regarding families, they could now travel to new places that they had never been able to before. More young people and women were now able to be more independent due to automobiles. Automobiles also allowed numerous workers to live far away from their jobs. Now many people could have the opportunity of getting better jobs because they didn't have to worry about the location of the

One negative effect was traffic accidents. Americans back then did not have the driving experience that most people have today so accidents happened a lot more frequently. Traffic laws also were not as strict as they are today. This resulted in many injuries or deaths because of the lack of safety rules such as wearing a seatbelt or making sure a automobile was equipped with a air bag. Automobiles decreased family unity. More individuals felt a sense of independence. People could now escape the household and go where they wanted. The amount of people engaging in social events increased and family outings became rare. Also many women escaped houseful chores. Which caused conflicts in a household because now women were doing what they wanted to instead of what they were expected to do. The more and more automobiles became popular, the more the air pollution. The cars were not as efficient as they were today and many automobile manufacturers did not focus on emissions when building the automobiles. This caused more air pollution, which could possibly threaten the health of humans and vegetation. Steel plows are another technological advance that have had both positive and negative effects. The invention of steel plows started because many people began to farm the fertile soil of the Midwest as the Northeast industrialized. People worked very hard to make the land suitable for their needs, such as clearing