Philosophy

Technological advances have definitely had an impact on human happiness, both positive and negative depending on what technological innovation is in question and what angle you look at it from. Mobile technology, specifically texting, is one technological innovation that has had adverse effects on human happiness and the way of living to the point it become almost indispensable in achieving complete and fulfilling happiness.

Mobile Texting and Human Happiness
The idea behind text messages was to create an alternative way of communication to talking on the telephone that was going to be short, precise and fast. This way, text messaging is the most ideal means of communication in situations where talking is prohibited for one or both parties communicating such as when one is in a meeting or a church. Text messages also eliminate the chances of misunderstandings caused by technical problems as by bad receptions. For this reason, coupled with the fact that they can be stored for future reference alongside with other information including the sender and the time it was received or sent, text messages are quite resourceful when it comes to sending information that includes instructions andor procedures of doing something.

Text messaging was initially intended to solve these communication problems but it has evolved to become more than just a means of communication and has been applied in banking and even money transfer in many countries around the world.

Marvin Kohl, in his work, quotes Russell as having written that the conditions necessary for human happiness are twofold there are internal and external circumstances. As much as one can strive to achieve happiness independent of external circumstances, these circumstances still need to exist for human happiness to be realized. Russell went ahead to list the most significant ingredients for human happiness as food and shelter, love, health, successful work and respect of ones own herd. Where these things are lacking, only the exceptional man can achieve happiness. (Kohl, 1993, p. 9).
Using the list of human happiness requisites provided by Russell, this paper will find out how a technological innovation such as mobile texting provides or facilitates any of the things mentioned in the list so as to make man happy.

Mobile phone texting is one technological innovation that has had adverse effects on human happiness and the way of living to the point its become almost indispensable in achieving complete and fulfilling happiness. If we consider love, text messaging does much to help love between couples flourish. It has essentially revolutionized the whole dating scene making it more interesting and fun. People who are dating or are in a relationship tend to use text messages to send each other cute messages  all day which allows them to be with each other away from each other. Making each other feel loved and cared for. Frequent text messages between people who love or care for each other serve as an assurance that they are still loved. This feeing of love in turn creates a feeling of comfort, and then from comfort comes happiness.

Some text messages can be considered as gift giving, from the fact that the message being sent helps in making the bond of an already existing relationship stronger. These messages are characteristically addressing a current situation and do not plan on future interactions. An example of such a message may read have a nice day at work. The exchange of these messages alone compounds the nature of the relationship between the sender and receiver, who are the giver and the receiver respectively. These messages go further to express love. (Ling, 2004, p. 154)

In facilitating health in human beings, text messages prove useful when the sender of the message is not capable to talk due to injury or weakness. In such cases, text messages could end being life saving.

Text messaging has also had an impact on politics since its conception. Now it is a powerful tool for mobilizing people and informing them about events that may need their attendance. Due to the huge number of people sending text messages today, text messages have been an attractive platform for advertisements of all sorts. World politicians and their campaigners have realized the power text messages hold in distributing information and how it exposes them to the wide audience that they need. This enables the public to have personalized conversations with the people they are going to vote for or who are closely associated with himher. In turn it empowers citizens and allows them to have a say on national issues and be heard thus bringing down communication barriers. Similarly it helps in creating a large pool of sufficiently informed citizens who are better placed to make the rational judgments in the choice of candidates to vote for when it comes to elections. This is good and has positive effects on human happiness, which results from individuals being content with whomever they choose, reducing frustration and sadness since it enhances mans respect for his own herd, as expressed by Russell.

Still dwelling on advertisement, text messages are used to advertise products and services for businesses. It is a relatively cheap way of advertising which is suitable not only for small businesses in terms of mitigating costs but also with large corporations due to the ability to reach targeted masses. In some developing countries, text messaging has changed the way business transactions were initially handled by providing a means of money transfer that does not require one to have a traditional savings account with a bank hence increasing financial accessibility to people. On the other hand mobile banking has also taken root in most countries especially in the developed countries making it extremely simple for one to access and manage hisher account. When a person is able to make and manage hisher money with much ease, it creates a sense of success, reliability and efficiency in whatever work heshe is doing to make that money. When efficiency, reliability and effectiveness is increased people  tend to be satisfied and work hard making himher able to  accumulate an amount of wealth desired by the people and enabled by the technological platforms then people will definitely bound to be happy.

On the other hand, text messages are said to make it easier for spouses to cheat on their partners by lying about their location at places where background noises would give it away if it were a call. This almost always leads to major disintegration of happiness causing spouses who have been cheated on a great deal of unhappiness when they find out.

This might be a problem but really its a choice of an individual to cheat and heshe is not prompted to do so by text messages. Yes, texting presents the avenue through which to cheat and cover up ones cheating but it is a choice that an individual person makes that consequently defeats its intended purpose in terms of it adding quality in mans life by facilitating happiness. Even in doing so, texting keeps the cheating spouse happy knowing that hisher secret is safe up until the truth is unveiled. It all depends on trust between couples.

A good life is a happy life, but a happy life is not necessarily good. Therefore if a man is happy, he will be good and not bad, meaning he will not cheat on his wife (Kohl, 1993, p. 12). Texting makes people happy, when people are happy their desires are always satisfied and needs accomplished. Texting has done more good than harm generally, and it had a great impact on economic development and growth of many countries. Texts save time and money and the whole idea behind it has created jobs for many people not only in telecommunications firms but also with individuals who have been successful in their daily activities therefore keeping them happy.

Technology may or may not increase overall happiness, but it can make specific tasks easier so that individuals can do more, make more things, andyeshave more things. (Levite, 1998)  In conclusion, technological advances and innovations, just like material wealth, and other forms of new inventions do not in themselves exist to affect human happiness per se but rather act as a medium of satisfying particular needs which will sometimes depend entirely on the subjects involved either to make a positive or negative impact. Technology rather increases specific satisfactions to humanity.