The topic I chose for my component no. 1 on the IGCSE Global Perspectives is Digital World. The area I am highlighting in this topic is “technological advances have reached a limit beyond which they can be defined as harmful”. The reason I selected this topic is because in recent years critics around the world have raised discussions about the reliability of technology's role in the life of the average human being. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The advancement of new technologies has taken place since the beginning of human history. From the invention of objects such as knives and spears made of rocks and sticks to kill animals for food, to contraptions such as the first printing press and the computer. Technological progress has been remarkably rapid in the 20th and 21st centuries. With electronic technology and machines being continually produced and improved, it was very likely that, along with the positive attributes of these new advances, people would also take into consideration a critical analytical approach of the negative aspects of the new technology. Every day different companies produce something more advanced in an attempt to win the consumer war against another company. This consumerism is forcing the rate of advancement more rapidly every year. Apple's creation of the iPhone is an example of this. Suddenly people could call, send messages, browse the Internet, listen to music, watch videos and click photos, all in one place. No other cell phone company on the market can compare. This was definitely a good thing, as people could use the phone to store data for work, education, entertainment. But it was just a matter of realization before the negative affirmations started too; too expensive, rapid loss of battery power, and a device like this could cut off face-to-face communication altogether, to name just a few claims. Technology will always have negative aspects because it depends on what the purpose of the technology is and who uses it. It; Albert Einstein once said, “Technological progress is like an ax in the hands of a pathological criminal.” [1]One of the biggest negative statements observed in past years was regarding the advancement of gaming technology. A video game called Grand Theft Auto was released in October 1997. The game was based on violence. It included stealing cars, killing and injuring random people, to more offensive content such as prostitute characters. Computer games were vilified after an incident in the United States in which a teenager shot and killed two police officers and a switchboard operator in 2003. He had already been taken to the police station once on suspicion of driving a stolen car, which is something that occurs repeatedly in the game series. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay The media described the incident this way “Cause: “Grand Theft Auto” Led Teen Kill.” [2] Predictably, blame was placed on the technology and companies that created the game “What happened in Alabama is that four companies participated in Devin's training… to kill three men.”[3] This type of media attention can be seen to support the negative claims made by Jacques Ellul, a French sociologist. He considered “technology as an irresistible and mysterious force” [4], continued to define it as “threatening” [5] and “has the., 52(2), 78-92.