A3: 21st Century Technology

21^st Century Technology (A3)

Although there are many technologies that have been created within the 21^st century, a very commonly used app around the world that was thought up in 2008 and was created in 2009 has been extremely popular lately, especially for college students.  This app is called Uber and with just a click of a button a driver is at your door in just a few short minutes to bring you to your destination.

The previous technologies that could have influenced creation of Uber are taxis, GPS systems, and smartphones. Taxis were created in the late 1800’s to provide transportation for citizens in large cities.  The passenger waits on the side of the road and waves down a taxi driver to come pick them up.  After getting into the taxi, the passenger provides the driver with a destination and by the end of the trip the taxi driver has a total amount of how much the taxi ride costs. An Uber ride is very similar to a taxi ride, seeing it is the same concept. 

The only difference between the two is that in with an Uber ride, the passenger uses their smartphone to call the Uber and plug in their destination before even stepping foot in the car.  After that, the passenger can track when the Uber driver will be there and where the Uber driver is using the GPS system.  The passenger finally gets in the Uber and the Uber driver brings the passenger to their set destination using the GPS system as well.  When sitting in the Uber, the passenger is able to use the Uber app to track where the Uber is taking them.  I believe this is a large step up from taxi services because it is considered to be a lot safer due to the idea that you can now track where your Uber is taking you, if of course you do not really know where you are going or are not familiar with the area.

The GPS systems and smartphones influenced the development of Uber seeing it is the two main components of the new technology.  Without the GPS or the smartphone components, Uber would just be another unsafe taxi service that you need to physically get up and find.

I believe that Uber is most definitively influencing the new technological idea of driver-less cars.   Driver-less cars ultimately explain themselves; they are cars that have the option to be driven without the need of a physical driver present.  This technology is being debated and worked on as of right now and is also known as Autonomous transportation.  In my opinion, Uber highly influences this new idea due to the high demand of safer travel, which is one reason why Uber’s creation stems from the unsafe traveling of a taxicab. Our world today is automating everything we possibly can everyday in order to maximize profits.  This can be seen through the upgrade from taxis to Uber.  Taxi services around the world are usually charging a greater amount to travel the same distance as an Uber, while making the entire process of getting a taxi ride much more complex.  The idea of Uber influencing driver-less cars shows a maximized profit because if there are driver-less cars, when using any transportation service by car, the companies will no longer have to pay a wage to a human operator or driver.  If this happens, the companies will make a much larger profit off of every ride taken seeing they are only receiving profit without having to pay someone to do it.

Work Cited

“Finding the Way.” The Uber Story | Uber, www.uber.com/our-story/.

Silverstein, Sara. “These Animated Charts Tell You Everything About Uber Prices in 21 Cities.” Business Insider, Business Insider, 16 Oct. 2014, www.businessinsider.com/uber-vs-taxi-pricing-by-city-2014-10.