The human species is no doubt the world’s greatest toolmaker—but is that a good thing? We change physical matter into devices to do things we cannot do with our hands. But it would be a mistake to think that we are the only ones doing the changing. In fact, technology changes us as much as we change technology.
Moreover, modern society has facets of this phenomenon that simply did not exist in more primitive cultures. For example, we have let global capitalism grow to be the fundamental purpose of humanity. The only way to survive is to develop new technology, because new technology is tied with economic growth. But global capitalism is only possible with technology. Without quick communication and transportation, global capitalism would not be possible.
But it was not the “super rich” that set up the evil scheme of global capitalism, although they have taken the reigns and they keep their machine well-oiled. Instead, it is the fact that technology provides incremental advantages to people, and it is natural to trade those advantages. And those trades built up to create the system of global capitalism, with the side effect that some people were very good at climbing to the top at the expense of others.
Of course, not all cultures have proceeded down this path. The Amish are well-know for instituting exceptionally strict mechanisms precisely to prevent these human instincts from getting out of control. But in the absence of mechanisms such as the ones the Amish use, then global capitalism is likely to arise.
The internet is another domain that is moulding human behaviour and changing it. We have set up algorithms to reward people for creating “content” on the internet. These algorithms change how people behave, and how they think. For example, I’m sure many people have heard of death-by-selfie, which describes a person dying while taking a supposedly breath-taking selfie in a dangerous location. Of course, human beings have autonomy to some extent, but we also have instincts and if we see a high reward, our instincts may override our choice. We are not rational beings, but instinctual beings with some ability to override instinct with logic. The only people who can’t believe this are those with an emotional attachment to their logic, because that emotional attachment is the only thing keeping them from succumbing to an intense fear of our primitive but unavoidable nature.
The most important question is, where is this all heading? It’s heading to a point where human beings will be more mechanical and more machine-like. And that’s because the environment of interconnected technology is like any environment: its inhabitants must adapt to it. We, as human beings, are pressured to adapt to the technological environment, and we will do what’s best for technology. We are already pretty much like cogs in the machine, and our irrelevance will only increase until we are mindless automatons with an illusion of choice.
Don’t believe me? Just look at how hard it is to stop technology from advancing, such as artificial intelligence, or nuclear weapons, the poster child of technology gone wrong. Yet, such technology proliferates anyway due to mechanisms like the prisoner’s dilemma. As a society, we need the ability to discard technology in some cases, and decide whether it is good for us rather than let local economies decide what is best. We need mechanisms similar to those of the Amish, where we look at what a good life is and decide based on that whether to develop new technology. If we had any sense, AI would be the first technology to be banned by such mechanisms.
Since we don’t have such mechanisms, technology marches forward, and we call that progress. I don’t call it progress. You know what I’d call progress? Better relationships with nature and a more respectful attitude towards the biosphere. Now that would be progress. But, more technology? Heck, no. That’s not progress. That’s just giving ourselves up to the machine. People only think technological development is progress, because progress is just the movement down some path, but the path we are currently on is the path to a dystopian hell.
Let me tell you a secret. I use the internet because I use it to make money, to make a living. Although there are exceptions, most people have to use the internet these days. That’s how all successful technologies work: first optional, then mandatory. So, what’s the secret? Well, if I could live in world where I wouldn’t need to use the internet to make a living or do basic tasks such as banking, I would be happy to stop using it. Of course, now the internet might be necessary to fight against technological growth, but theoretically, there are happy versions of the world without the internet. But the human population has spiralled out of control, so what can you do?
Conclusion
Although people typically focus on politics and social systems, it is a mistake to ignore technology. Technology is a force like gravity, and it pushes us in different directions. Gravity can kill if a bridge collapses, or it can be used safely and effectively when you are walking down a trail. That’s the same with technology: it is a powerful force that can move beyond human control if we’re not careful. And we haven’t been careful, because we let local economic choices be the only ones that govern the use of technology.
That’s something we will have to change if we are to have any chance at all.