Advantages and Disadvantages of Computers (Essay Sample)

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Advantages and Disadvantages of Computers
The invention of computers is one of the greatest achievements in the world of technology. The idea of making a computer arose in the eighteenth century but only materialized in the early nineteenth century and was fully upgraded by several engineers to what is currently used today. Computer usage has transformed and revolutionized human interaction, education, research, businesses, manufacturing and other life aspects worldwide. Modern computers can simultaneously work on multiple tasks and accurately calculate, transmit and write programs critical to human activities. While computers' contribution to almost every sector of human life has been tremendous, they also have some unavoidable drawbacks.
One of the advantages of computers is their ability to work with speed and accomplish sophisticated tasks. Unlike in the past, when computers were primarily used for calculations and other simpler tasks, modern computers accurately perform complex tasks in a fraction of seconds (Shtips). The time taken for a computer to take up instructions and execute a task is incomparable to the duration a human could take. Speed has been a significant factor in the manufacturing and sharing of information across the world.
The second advantage is the accuracy it brings when performing tasks. The programs undertaken by computers have zero margins of errors. Because of this factor, computers are used to design programs that run for a lifetime without worrying that a mistake could arise (Sharma). Because of computers' accuracy, calculations are critical in generating arithmetic programs used in statistics for various purposes. This aspect has eliminated all manual calculations in industrial manufacturing, education institutions, and other spheres of life where errors would otherwise be persistent.
Another critical advantage of computers is their ability to store huge data. Without accessible data, it would be chaos in every aspect of research, education, manufacturing among other sectors. Computers can now store huge amounts of data that could not be possible to enter into physical files. Thousands of books, journals, and other informative documents can be permanently stored for future references and only retrieved when necessary (TutorialsMate). This ability has contributed to advanced research and also assisted in environment conservation because less paperwork is needed.
On the flip side, computers have also rendered many people jobless. Humans could otherwise do much of the work done by computers in active employment. The replacement of human labor by computers had a significant impact on people's livelihood (TutorialsMate). In addition, computers have provided people with easy access to the internet, which has posed a social risk. Internet access could be addictive, which is a health and social hazard to young people. For example, it has led to social evils such as hacking, pornography, and the spread of manipulated information.
Besides, computers have exposed people to health hazards. The continuous use of computers has been established to cause eye diseases, limbs, and sometimes neck and back disorders (Siyavula). However, reasonable ergonomics practices can minimize the risks of many computer usage-related d