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Research essay
FYEX
7th November, 2016
It is human curiosity which has led mankind to wonder, ponder and learn about oneself
and the surroundings. It is because of this innate nature of humans, we are now the most superior
creatures in the entire planet in terms of sociability, morality and intellectuality. Curiosity is the
thirst of acquiring knowledge which drives humans to understand different phenomena in life
and research is the key which has opened new vistas of knowledge for us. From the very
beginning of human civilization, research has been the fundamental building block to acquire
knowledge and reflect upon higher purposes and discover deeper meanings in things, going
beyond what they apparently seem to be. We dream, create vision, investigate, gather
information, and with the help of our findings, we draw appropriate conclusions. Thats what
research is.
humanity, and developing skills and interests. When we observe the contribution of research in
our society, be it proving a scientific hypothesis, advancing technology, finding a cure for
undefeatable diseases or even eradicating a social problem, we perceive that research has made a
significant contribution in all genres of our lives. The more advanced we get, equally complex
are the issues to be dealt with and that is why our ways of conducting research has also changed.
We live in the era where technology has reached greater heights, most of the things we
use have been digitalized. Technology has impacted multiple dimensions of research as well.
Each day we are being bombarded with vast amount of information from all around the world.
There is this interesting thing about technology, it is addictive and advancing. These days, first
thing that strikes our mind when it comes to academic research is internet. We find people
using these highly practical phrases such as, just google it. Honestly, these technologies have
made our ways of conducting academic research so easy and quick, that going into the field and
collecting raw data instead of finding a source which has that information in internet seems quite
unrealistic. As any other matter in this universe, it has both pros and cons.
I believe, there is a part of me who agrees with futurist John Naisbitt from 1982 who
wrote, We are drowning in information but starving for knowledge. We certainly have lots of
information about numerous things, but we cannot always synthesize that information and
analyze them. This is happening because with advancing technology, the information we get is
also getting complicated and somehow we lack the ability to use that information and evaluate it.
For example, many young people use internet browsers to gain information for their research but
they lack the skill to evaluate the transparency and accountability of the information because of
which the results of their research might be misleading and manipulative. But, at the same time
we certainly cannot ignore the fact that these browsers have encouraged students to participate in
research activities. We can imagine how difficult it would be to conduct a research about a
culture practiced in a completely different hemisphere of the planet but because of these highly
advanced tools of technology, students are being able to conduct researches on such topics.
Technology has made a great contribution in the field of research. It is not long ago when
refrigerators were invented for the luxurious purpose of wealthy families, but now these
refrigerators are used for saving lives of many people in rural areas by storing medicines and
vaccinations. The more we use these technologies, more we form the habit of utilizing it. Same is
the scenario with the invention of internet, even though it was initially invented for the
student cannot imagine my life without internet, even though my grandmother graduated college
without even having to touch a computer, I cannot contemplate passing a semester without
computers. I use internet and computers to complete homework, research, socialize, connect with
global issues, to cook and many other limitless purposes. The first thing that strikes any students
There is no doubt that research is very important for betterment of mankind but with the
advancement of time and technology, the issues of research and way of conducting them might
be challenging. For the students of this generation who grew up being surrounded by computers,
technology removes the intimidation factor of research for students because for us, it is much
more intuitive to navigate a software interface than to design research on papers. As technology
is shrinking the world and democratizing information, it is also reshaping how we learn. This is
equally exciting and challenging for a rising generation of student researchers who drive the
1) www.wired.com/insights/2013/07/how-technology-is-changing-academic-research/
2) Breivik, Patricia S. 21st Century Learning and Information Literacy. Taylor and