Social Assessment: Global Positioning
System
By: Megan Swedell
The framework that composes this world is made up of a progressive society; one in which citizens are always striving to discover new technologies and ways of doing things. If these innovative skills and areas of newly acquired knowledge are applied, they can drastically alter the purposes and processes that organize this earth. Global Positioning System is a technology that has definitely impacted our world in such ways. It has been studied by top researchers to determine how our world can take advantage of the opportunities that are in store for us, now that GPS has been discovered. Many of these opportunities have been evaluated and actually applied to certain projects; they are even now a part of everyday life. The question that is on many minds, though, is: how far is GPS going to go? There is a limitless array of options that Global Positioning System can readily take advantage of, but how will this actually affect society? Is there a possibility that GPS may go too far in the implementation of this limitless technology? Global Positioning System has impacted society for decades and will continue making progress until it has gone too far.
Forms of Global Positioning System can be seen in many areas of life today. It is a huge part of the American military system and allows our government to defend our nation and protect its people. Not only does the government have control of this technology, but it is also a part of many peoples everyday life. Any mode of transportation has come up with a way to utilize this new system and have even been able to benefit from the opportunities that it presents. It can be seen especially in automobiles, airplanes, and boats; they have all acquired special programming systems that allow the driver to see where he/she is and where he/she is headed. This type of GPS has amazing qualities and benefits because it allows for a sense of safety that was otherwise absent. Consumers are purchasing these forms of transportation that have this new addition because they want to be able to have complete knowledge of where they are and what is going on around them. The researchers of Global Positioning System hope that in the future, they can create a system that will enhance the driver�s experience and even allow him/her to know ahead of time how traffic looks or where an accident has occurred. This will definitely promote the security of the driver and give a sense of peace about the trip being taken. Global Positioning System contributes to society in a good way since it has the power to allow people to feel secure and in control of their situations.
Even though the Global Positioning System has good attributes and can be beneficial to society, it also has the capability to bring detrimental effects upon our world. The limitless array of options that GPS has the ability to utilize may, in fact, bring a sense of too much protection and even ultimate control to this world. Who is to say that once the government has the capability to know where individuals are at any time, they won�t take advantage of that? The Global Positioning System can be implanted into modes of transportation at this time, but the future could bring the possibility of putting GPS into humans as well. It could be seen as something so innocent as making a child wear a button that has GPS inside of it so that parents will always know where that child is; but how far will this go? Will the technology soon be implanted into the actual child and activated or deactivated on command? The researchers of GPS have the opportunity to make this technology available to anyone to use; doesn�t this scare the world that there is a possibility someone they don�t know can have tabs on them at all times?
Global
Positioning System can definitely benefit the society because it offers
individuals control and a sense of security.
It also allows them to be protected since the government does take
advantage of GPS to defend our nation.
But how far is too far? GPS may
one day be a negative addition to society because it offers anyone the ability
to have complete knowledge of where individuals are. This technology can allow individuals and the
government to become so powerful that our nation may be scared of itself. For