StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Technology, Politics and Values - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
The author of this essay "Technology, Politics and Values" casts light on the mentioned concepts. According to the text, the United Nations (UN) came up with eight global development goals that are commonly known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). …
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER95.6% of users find it useful
Technology, Politics and Values
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Technology, Politics and Values"

Technology, Politics and Values MDG and technological artifact Following the adoption of the United Nations Millennium Declaration in 2000 at the Millennium Summit, the United Nations (UN) came up with eight global development goals that are commonly known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). As of 2015, all the U.N member states have been committed to attain the MGD. Among them is the MDG 5, which is to improve maternal health. In particular, the maternal mortality ration needs to be reduced by three quarters as well as global access to reproductive health (United Nations, 2010). However, to attain this goal, technological innovation and implementation is required. One such technology is the use of mobile phones. How the technological artifact meets the MDG Even though the maternal mortality is very high, most deaths can be avoided. The use of mobile technology has been used to improve maternal health. An estimated 367,000 women die every year because of complications related to pregnancy and childbirth. However, in the last decade, the number of women dying from the complications is reducing, 546,000 in 1990 and 301,400 in 2010 (United Nations, 2010). The mobile industry has grown rapidly creating 11 million jobs as well as generating $3.4 trillion in global revenues. The use smartphones, 3G and 4G networks, and tablets have transformed communication, especially in the medical care industry. Mobile devices have changed the way in which medical care is provided. The mobile devices through the use of wireless technology have improved efficiency and effectiveness of the maternal health care. They have brought the required medical expertise to frontline medical professionals, tracked the spread of diseases affecting mothers and children, systematized compilation of information related to patients, and improved diagnosis and treatment of diseases (West, 2015). The women can have general access to information during pregnancy and childbirth. Information from mobile phones empowers the women to claim their rights in addition to protecting their health and that of their unborn child. Considering that according to statistics most of the maternal health problems are prevalent in Sub-Saharan Africa and rural Asia due to complications of pregnancy and birth. In South Africa, more than 4,000 mothers die each year because of pregnancy related complications (West, 2015). In spite of most South African women living in poverty, mobile technology is providing the women with access to maternal health information that is life saving. The women receive text messages every week about the development of their babies. The messages are also sent in different ethnic languages apart from the English language in order to enhance understandability of the content. Some of these mothers have low literacy levels. The women are provided with stage based information, such as reminders on when to visit the clinic. As for those HIV-infected women, they are informed of proper infant feeding practices and getting their infants tested for HIV. The new and expectant mothers through various programs such as the WAHA International in conjunction with UNICEF in Senegal are providing new simcards where they receive messages and contact the local health professionals for maternal health consultations. The messages are tailored depending on the needs of the mothers. Other innovative mobile programs in developing nations include the Text4Baby and Mobile Midwife which deliver calls to pregnant women every week about their fetal health. Considering that 40% of the maternal deaths are attributed to placenta complications that may be discovered via ultrasound, the Mobile Ultrasound Patrol program in Morocco makes use of portable ultrasound machines along with 3G network to enhance the diagnostic times for expectant mothers. How the implementation of the technology artifact is influenced by politics The implementation of the use of mobile devices to improve maternal health is influenced by politics. As cited by Winner (2009), technical systems are interrelated to the conditions of modern politics. The mobile phone is invariably associated with certain ways of organizing power as well as authority. Political partnership with medical providers improves the delivery of maternal healthcare by use mobile phone technology. In 2014, a study by Chen, Lo, Wei, Xu, and Zhang illustrated that political interactions in interpersonal networks tend to enhance participatory behavior. Therefore, political systems that promote the use of mobile phones also encourage people to use mobile phones to enhance maternal health. Most of the developing nations where the maternal mortality is very high (99%) (United Nations, 2010), the countries have very poor infrastructure to support the mobile phone technology. This is attributed to high levels of corruption and political instability to attract investors in the mobile industry. It is equally important to note that these nations have a rigid hierarchical chain of command that closes nearly all the effects that can make the working of the mobile phone unpredictable. Besides, every country has its regulations regarding the use of mobile phones. Some of these rules make it hard for the mothers to acquire and use mobile phone services. For instance, in Malawi, the cost of receiving text messages is very high making the mothers not subscribe to the service. The use mobile phone technology is strongly compatible with democratic political arrangements. In dictatorial regimes, the mobile phone owners are judicious about their use so as not to attract the attention of the police. In nations such as North Korea, the government has banned the public use of wireless technology such as the Internet and mobile phones. It means that the women in North Korea cannot benefit from the advancements in mobile phone technology in a bid to improve maternal health across the globe. How the use of mobile phones to improve health integrates the world Maternal health can be prevented globally by means of mobile phone technology. There is a rapid increase in mobile phone users worldwide. According to the global Internet Report, there are 4.88 billion users of mobile phones. The number is projected to increase to 5.3 billion by 2017. This implies that across the globe, the number of women who would be able to access maternal health services is also projected to increase. The mobile phones provide a flexible approach to maternal health care. The whole world could benefit from reduced maternal mortality as a result of improved medical technology. The other global benefit of mobile technology is that it could extend to workplace efficiency by reducing unproductive travel time, improve decision making, and improve logistics. The technology is also important for social development. The mobile devices such as smartphones and light-weight computer devices would empower patients because they would not be required to not only visit and get clinical advise from the local physicians, but also medical experts across the world through e-mails, text messages, and automated phone calls. In other words, the clinical advice could be global. Therefore, the use of mobile phones plays a crucial role in globalization. References Chen, Y., Lo, V., Wei, R., Xu, X., & Zhang, G. (2014). A Comparative Study of the Relationship Between Mobile Phone Use and Social Capital Among College Students in Shanghai and Taipei. International Journal of Journalism and Mass Communication , 1 (105), 1-9. Winner, L. Do Artifacts have Politics? United Nations. (2010). Millennium Development Goals: At a Glance. Geneva: United Nations Department of Public Information. West, D. (2015). Using mobile technology to improve maternal health and fight Ebola: A case study of mobile innovation in Nigeria. Biotechnology Innovation , 12, 1-19. Winner, L. (2009). Do Artifacts Have Politics? JSTOR , 109 (1), 121-136. Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Technology, Politics and Values Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words”, n.d.)
Technology, Politics and Values Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words. Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/sociology/1701601-technology-politics-and-values
(Technology, Politics and Values Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 Words)
Technology, Politics and Values Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 Words. https://studentshare.org/sociology/1701601-technology-politics-and-values.
“Technology, Politics and Values Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/sociology/1701601-technology-politics-and-values.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Technology, Politics and Values

Technology, Politics, and Values

TECHNOLOGY, POLITICS, and values NAME TUTOR DATE Technology, Politics, and values Introduction According to Winner technology innovation is determined to a certain degree by political systems at the time and society values (Winner, 1986).... hellip; Currently, the world is shifting to a digital technology and the world economic powers have done their best to support computerization of every aspect in society.... Another technology that is essential in eradicating poverty is in shifting from reliance in rain fed agriculture to irrigation....
4 Pages (1000 words) Research Paper

Introduction to global politics

Indeed, if we compare today's geopolitical environment with that of yesteryears, the impact of globalisation is quite perceptible.... America, the only superpower knows it quite well, that its corporate world requires having a market, which in turn would bring growth to US economy.... hellip; China is now the cynosure of eyes in pure business terms....
11 Pages (2750 words) Term Paper

Culture, Technology, and Politics - Assignment

Technology as politics and Culture.... For instance, movements of 1960s in USA led to the establishment of educational programs, Cultural, technological and political review Culture, Technology, and politics For a long time, social protests have been identifiedto contribute significantly to the process of political participation, cultural and value system change and development of national and international civil society.... politics on the other hand, influence culture in different ways ranging from education to religion to ways of life....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay

Politics as a Delicate Matter

Through childhood training, I knew that people who subscribe to my value system as the best when it comes to politics and economy.... The essay "politics as a Delicate Matter" explains why political leaders speculate in the image of the opponent as an external enemy on the eve of the election, why rich voters vote for rich politicians, how political news should be interpreted in order to be politically correct in relation to representatives of other nations.... hellip; politics is the process by which people determine whose views of the government will prevail....
8 Pages (2000 words) Essay

Organizations Need Strong Culture

Here the managers always work to maintain right values, ethics, code of conduct and norms.... values, norms and ethics vary among organizations when organizations are treated as different states.... But if there arises a conflict between the documented and the practiced norms, values, and beliefs practiced within an organization, serious conflicts may occur leading to disastrous effects.... Organizational culture comprises of values and sets of beliefs that directly and predominantly originate from people's minds identified as cultural artefacts (Brewis, 2007)....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

Information Systems and Technologies are Political

Technologies are utilized to gain the political goals and values.... There is no doubt that technology has politics in it and in order to recognize that politics one have to think in the experimental way or have to reveal by the classification of their fittings.... technology influneces the way of living the life, the way of getting information, way of working, even all basic features of social life.... The administration of technologies, decisions related developments and… Technological advancements bring advantages for some groups and serve some communities with disadvantages; some may do not enjoy these advancements, but some have power and control. Technologies can expose the risk, The policy of technology is associated with the political problems such as social equality, distributive justice and other considerations....
7 Pages (1750 words) Essay

Organizational Choices, Values and Frames

This paper "Organizational Choices, values, and Frames" discusses the following issues: the managerial bias in critical perspective, a reappraisal of probabilistic risk analysis, image theory: personal and organizational decisions, groupthink, as well as choices, values, and frames.... Framing effects and violations of invariance actually complicate the relation of experience and decision values....
9 Pages (2250 words) Assignment

The Utilitarian Social Theories as a Reflection of the Fundamental Values in the United States

The paper "The Utilitarian Social Theories as a Reflection of the Fundamental values in the United States" sheds light upon self-interest human values which guide the government in shaping immigrants' policy.... They include general social values - order and individualism, democratic, and economic values.... Nevertheless, from the 80s, the utilitarian social theory has received criticism from various scholars producing their evidence that other values also shape the politics of the day....
5 Pages (1250 words) Term Paper
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us