Even around 40 years ago it would not have been imaginable that we could contact people sitting in the comfort of the house by what is today known as email or the internet. Technological advances, new gadgets and computers with improved hardware and software have made life that much easier for man. One such area where technology has played a big role in bringing people closer together is without doubt the mobile telephony. Today it would be news if a person does not have a mobile phone with him. Having two or three connections per person is becoming a regular feature nowadays.
The reason for mobile phone becoming so common is the use of technology to make it so affordable and accessible to the common man. It has redefined the way people communicate with each other and the way business and commercial transactions are done with the mobile phone. Mobile phones are today just not restricted to making calls, but they are also used for other activities like booking railway and air tickets, checking balances in bank accounts, transferring money from one bank account to another and so on. Even surfing the internet with the use of mobile phones has become child’s play today and perhaps a day will not be far off when mobile phones could be used for much more advanced features like withdrawing money, depositing money, etc.
All these developments are fine but there is still a feeling amongst widespread sections of society that technology is only benefiting the rich and privileged. This perception may not be entirely true but much more could be done by using technology for bettering the lives of thousands of people living below the poverty line. Some uses of technology for bettering lives could be discovering alternate sources of fuel for large scale use to replace petroleum products whose reserves are fast depleting.