Technological advancements are all good, because knowledge and discovery are never a bad thing. It is only when you introduce a human vice, such as greed, into the mix that technology's impact on society can become a troubling thing. That being said, the transistor is the single most influential technological invention and its impact on society has been that many other inventions used it to change our world forever.
A Mixed Bag
As some technology caused horrible injuries to men and women in war zones, with the bombs, increased firepower and chemical and germ warfare it brought about, some led to new and wonderful ways to heal and repair the human body, ease pain and suffering and clone new life in labs across the world. In these and many other cases, technology's impact was both good and bad depending on who and where you were.
Medical
At the turn of the century, no one dared to think that man would be able to transplant eyes, kidneys and even hearts to give a patient a new lease on life. Then, we couldn't even take a blood pressure reading and now we can read DNA profiles and analyze blood work to find the cause of illnesses.
Who would have thought a man-made prosthetic would allow a man to compete in a marathon or a quadriplegic to actually work and earn a living? Technology gave us laser surgery inside the brain and even the eye as well as new pharmaceutical discoveries that led to vaccines that protect us from the crossover viruses found in animals such as swine flu and West Nile virus.
With the new knowledge of genetics, gained with technology, came the ethical problems of genetic engineering, in-vitro fertilization, stem cell research and cloning, which are all debated in court cases and medical boardrooms as well as in churches.
X-Ray
Though x-rays have been used medically since the early 1900, in the 50's we were still unaware of how dangerous they were. Thousands of soldiers and medical patients sickened and died from radiation poisoning or had to have limbs removed. Even shoe stores had an x-ray machine that allowed you to look at your foot in the shoe. This technology brought greater understanding of the human body but at a great price.
Computers
We live in a computerized society now, but it was only half a century ago that we gained the technology that shrank the size of the whole wide world and gave access to information that even the most prestigious university could not compete with. It sped up calculations needed for even newer innovations. As technology improved computers, they became affordable to almost anyone and then the problems started.
Computer hackers made life a living nightmare by stealing personal information and identities of unsuspecting users. Bank accounts were emptied and the most personal of private information was made available to anyone who could use a search engine. Our children are duped into meeting with child molesters as cyber crime flourishes today. Another mixed bag of good and bad impact on society.
Atomic Energy
Splitting of the atom was to have led the way in making the deserts bloom and feeding the hungry. The world rejoiced at this technological break through until its use was directed toward death and destruction as a military weapon. WWII was ended by the dropping of the atomic bomb on Nagasaki and Hiroshima where thousands died. For the survivors of Pearl Harbor it was seen as good, but to the people of Japan it was a devastating blow. Again, there was both a good and bad impact on society.
Technology For The People
Technology is driven by money, but quite often, we the people gain a benefit from it that makes our life easier or that educates or entertains us. The following are some of these that had only a good impact on society and some that were and are considered a mixed bag.
1-Plastic contributes positive things to life such as shopping bags, credit cards, eyeglass frames, combs, microwaveable dishes, lightweight pools and trashcans, and many other home products. However, plastic is not biodegradable and when not disposed of properly, they eventually find their way to the oceans where they kill sea creatures or in a landfill where they will stay forever.
2-Television brought the world to our living rooms and allowed us to see how others lived as well as entertaining us. However, for every hour a child sits watching TV, they lose an hour of exercise and fresh air. They are constantly bombarded with images of sex, violence and other unhealthy images that change who they are and how they see and relate to the world.
3-Space travel took us to the moon and beyond but the jury is still out on whether or not there are any adverse impacts on society. Are we creating space debris that we will later have to deal with?
4-Penicillin and Polio Vaccine were considered miracle drugs and are among the top technological discoveries that have no down side at all, as are pacemakers, which give a second lease on life to many.
There isn't enough room to list all the technological inventions and their impact on society. As with most things in life, there is some good and some bad, but it is not the technology that makes them one or the other, it is man who chooses how each will impact society.