When you hear the word “technology”, what comes to mind? Maybe it’s computers, robots or the internet — all those high-tech gadgets and systems powered by electricity. But what if I told you that technology isn’t just coding or electricity? In fact, it’s something much more fundamental, and it's been around for a lot longer than any modern device.

The core of technology: doing things better

At its core, technology is simply about doing something better — improving on what already exists. It doesn’t have to be flashy or complicated. Imagine someone thousands of years ago discovering how to make a stone wheel. That was cutting-edge technology back then. It didn’t require electricity or a circuit board; it was just a new way of solving a problem — the problem of moving heavy things more easily. By inventing the wheel, our ancestors found a way to do something better, and that’s what technology is really about.

Everyday innovations: technology in the kitchen

Think about a cooking recipe passed down through generations. Your grandma might have found a more efficient way to make a delicious Sunday roast, shaving hours off the cooking time while making it tastier. That is also technology — a way to improve a process and make life a little better.

Beyond gadgets: innovation at its heart

In the modern world, we have become used to thinking of technology as complicated gadgets or software — things that require specialist knowledge to understand or use. But that’s just one form of technology. At its heart, it is really about innovation, which simply means creating something new or improving on what exists to solve a problem.

The humble paper clip: a simple but powerful technology

Consider something as mundane as a paper clip. It’s not very exciting, but it is a piece of technology. Before the paper clip was invented, people used wax, pins or even string to keep papers together. The paper clip was a small but significant improvement — it made the task simpler and more effective. And that’s what technology is: it’s about taking what we have and making it work better for us.

Big and small: the many faces of technology

Sometimes technology is big and revolutionary — like the invention of electricity. But other times, it is small, simple and almost invisible — like a better way to tie your shoes. The key is that it’s always about progress, about moving forward.

Rethinking technology in everyday life

So next time you hear the word “technology”, don’t think only about laptops or smartphones. Instead, think about every time you have seen something done in a new or better way. That’s technology, too. It’s in every improvement, every small idea that makes a big difference in your day-to-day life. And the best part is, you don’t have to be a programmer or an engineer to be part of it — every one of us can innovate. It’s just about looking at the world, seeing how things are done and wondering, "How could this be better?"

Technology is all around you

You are surrounded by technology every day, in every form. It’s in your kitchen, in your garden, even in the way you organise your time. You may not always notice it, but every time something helps you do something a bit more easily, a bit more efficiently, that’s technology at work. So while it is easy to think of technology as being all about coding or electricity, it’s actually much more down-to-earth. It’s the small improvements, the little tweaks that make life just a little bit better.

And really, isn’t that what we all strive for — making things better, one small step at a time?

• Christian Chin-Gurret is a writer with a Master of Science in Innovation and Entrepreneurship and a Bachelor of Science in Product Design, who offers a unique perspective on shaping the future of business through innovation, disruption and technology