Monthly TOEFL Essay #2: Possible Changes by Scientific Advance in the 21st Century

Topic: The 21st century has begun. What changes do you think this new century will bring? Use examples and details in your answer. 

     Famous K-pop group 2NE1’s name means twenty-first century’s new evolution. As the group’s name suggests, the twenty-first century is called the age of social upheaval. As the slope of the advance of science and technology becomes steeper, social change is accelerated. Frontier technologies, such as biotechnology, nanotechnology change people’s daily life. By this reason of social change in the twenty-first century, I assume that the new century should be a centralized society in various areas and people will lose humanity than before.

     First, the new century will be an integrated society. The representative area is information. As the communications technology is more developed, the easier to centralize information to one spot. For instance, Apple collects location information from their iPhone users and Google collects search records of their users even though users did not log in. These changes are all based on the advance of information technology. CCTVs around us, possibility to take satellite pictures in any time anywhere, location tracing with cell phones, and the GPS system is part of the integrated information system. This means that more fixed integrated system could be built in the future due to better technology. Centralization is also found at infrastructures in a country. The connections between power stations, roads, airplane or ship’s course are centralized by one system. Integrated system enables easier control objects. Also, information in the world could be easier to access. Integrated system can exist in a smaller way, such as food control system in houses. These systems will make people’s daily life more comfortable. In contrast it can intensify the danger of all objects. For example, if the opponent takes control of the spot where is a place that manages power plants during a war, electricity in the whole nation could be gone in one moment. It also enables the owner of information, or authorities, to look through individuals’ information.

     Second, the loss of social link between people due to individualism is worried. This phenomenon can be seen nowadays. When people go into an elevator, people just watch at their smart phones rather than talk to each other. Mobilization and reduction in size of electric devices provided an environment that is comfortable for individuals. People watch soccer not with their family on TV but in their rooms alone on smart phones. Also, when dealing with business, individual work with tablet PC allowed businessmen to work alone than work alone. The revolution on mobile devices reduces conversation with people and the chance to make offline social relationship. People do not feel the necessity to be in a community or with other people. Compared to the society before industrialization, social link between people is weaker, and will be weaker in the future due to the reasons above. In other words, people would not care about others. As individual space and time increases, individualism can easily rise in the society. Thus, social link among people and the band of community will become weaker.

     In conclusion, integrated system in many fields will appear and social interactions will be weakened due to the technological progress. Many other changes will be occurred in the new century, but as scientific advance is the driving force of the society these changes will be significant in the future society.