technology is where man has found a new way of doing things that is not found naturally.
simply. a man made tool.
if something later comes out that is even faster, better, easier. the previous tool gets de prioritied and treated as low-tech and the new tool is deemed hi-tech

if i created a technique(method/concept/way) to do something better faster easier compared to nature/past methods. its a technology.
yes it has to actually succeed in doing it. meaning its more then just an idea by actually achieving something.

EG the ball point pen was new tech in the last few hundred years. although now time has passed we laugh and call it lo-tech compared to hi-tech computers.. a pen is still technology made to make life easier compared to anything naturally available