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An explanation from a computer expert as to why our trust in technology is misguided. Technological progress has seriously outstripped our ability to cope with the changes it brings about in society. At other times in human history technology changed slowly and people died young. Nowadays people have to adjust to many changes during their extended lifespan. If it was merely a process of adjustment, we could discount the problem on the basis that it is transient. The real problem is that technology is changing the way people interact with one another. It should be human beings who define how people should interact. Some people are truly enamoured of technology. When Bill Gates says that he believes in a future filled with technology he reminds me of a small boy who really believes in racing cars. When people point out to him the perils of technology, he has consistently maintained that these will be outweighed by the benefits. The question is not, however, "Is technology a good thing or a bad thing?" The question is, "What do we want society to look like in the future, and what do we need to do to get there?" If technology helps, then we should use it, but the pursuit of technology for it's own sake should be left to hard-core fanatics. Television is good example of how dramatically technology can change our lives. Television brings us experiences that hitherto would have been out of most peoples' reach. So that makes it a good thing. But television also takes people away from other forms of social interaction, panders to the gullible, makes heroes out of charming idiots and discourages us from thinking. So TV is not always a good thing. Without a focus on what we actually want technology for, we'll end up living in a world where people will expect to get what they want simply by pressing a button, and if it doesn't happen they'll become confused and agitated. The technocrats counter with, "Technology gives people the freedom to make choices with their lives that they otherwise couldn't." That claim would have real substance if people always made wise choices based on the long-term interests of themselves, other people, and society in general. But people often make choices based on a transient feeling, or on perceived short-term self interest. Here technology has the potential to wreak true havoc. As an example to illustrate, imagine a lonely young man watching TV on which a pretty girl is displayed getting into a car owned by another young man. The advertisement then announces that the viewer can buy the car at a 10% discount, for a limited time only. The viewer is enthusiastic but before he can actually buy the car he has to get finance, find a the dealer, etc, and in the interim he will have had time to consider whether:
Imagine a scene 5 years into the future, the same fellow is watching TV and has a sophisticated remote control in his hands. The same advertisement appears, but this time all he has to do is press a button on his remote control to purchase the car. Within seconds his identity has been verified, his credit-worthiness checked, and the car purchased. It was the man who made a conscious decision to buy the car, but did technology help him make a good decision? Do we need technology to help old people look young again, or should we look for beauty in old age? Do we need technology to help us make more babies, or should we provide better homes for the babies already being born? If left unchecked, technology will continue to changed human values in an uncontrolled way. At one time an interesting person was someone with new ideas. Today an interesting person is someone who had last night watched the same TV show you did. Even the most ardent technocrat would agree that, at the end of the day, technology should serve human values. The only questions that remain are: Which humans? And what values? Phil Bachmann nmt Copyright © 1999 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||