The Fear Machine and Technology Series
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Intro
This will be the first of a long-running series where we document events where media is critiquing a new technology and why the critique is likely not a concern in the long run. We'll use the framework outlined in this post to guide our thinking going forward.
If this series interests you, I highly suggest following the Pessimists Archive on Twitter. This account was the inspiration for this post. They pull historical references of new technologies such as the automobile, airplane, morse code, radio, and more to draw parallels to how fear mongering of new technologies has ALWAYS existed.
Executive Summary
With many new technologies and inventions comes skepticism. As with any new experience, this skepticism, to some level, has helped to keep the human species alive. All of us rushing into a new world likely has more negative consequences than positive ones.
When it comes to new technologies in the 2020’s, I think many fall to the same criticisms and moral fear mongering that new technologies in the 1920’s (and before) also faced. I’m going to breakdown why I think this fear mongering exists, why in some cases it makes sense, and what you can do about it going forward / how overcoming this fear will help you in the long run.
The two main reasons society continues to be fearful of new technologies, and why these fears like to be over-sensationalized:
Moral panics are easy headlines to write, yet common sense should prevail.
Technologies that involve mortality garner headlines, but regulatory frameworks help to slow adoption.
Moral Panics
Let’s define moral panics. They are movements based on false or exaggerated perceptions or information that exceeds the actual threat society is facing. Moral panic is a widespread fear and often an irrational threat to society's values, interests, and safety.
The last part about society’s values, interests, and safety is an interesting conundrum. One could argue that society’s values, interest, and safety do not shift overnight, particularly safety. The experiences and lenses in which values and interests are applied may change from generation to generation, at best. For example, many people believe that as society and economies advance, the lower rungs of Maselow’s Hierarchy of needs are naturally satisfied for people by their environment. In other words, physiological needs are no longer hunter/gatherer exhaustive duties for people, as access to nourishment is something most people don’t have to proactively situate their lives around.
Much of what new technologies have offered since the dawn of the internet, are ways for individuals to interact with a world that aligns with their values and interests. Which at its base assertion, one would think that there has been little moral panic over technologies since the 90’s, but yet we continue to see this play out month over month, year over year. This panic tends to focus on the nefarious edge cases of which a technology could be used, for example, much gets made of crypto being used for money laundering and funding terrorist organization. Well if someone thought about this problem logically, you’d realize technically any currency or goods could have this claim made against it. And in this case cryptocurrencies are 100% traceable, which in ways makes it riskier to launder money.
What the pundits, median, and fear mongers tend to miss are the slow, emergent threats introduced by new technologies. For example, if you would have told people 15 years ago that smartphones would be used for companies to track and learn about you, you’d likely been slower to buy a smartphone, if at all.
While that’s an interesting thought exercise, the reality is that advances in technology 10 years ago were fears then, but now are ways of life that if taken away would cause just as large of a negative effect on society and economic productivity as when those technologies were being introduced. In the early 1900’s, when radio was being developed it was often blamed for creating storms. (see graphic)
Technology’s impact on Mortality and Fulfillment
Aside from impact on society's values, interest and safety, there are also considerations for technology's impact one's mortality and fulfillment in the world. The mortality argument in my opinion is one of the better arguments for creating discussion prior to technology being rolled out to the masses. For example, should humans be playing the role of God by the use of and advances in cloning technologies? What about advances in aging related technologies that expand life expectancies? I don't have any answers to these questions, I have opinions, but for the purposes of this discussion I do believe the ‘mortality line’ is one that must be walked carefully, and discussions along with regulation over these types of technologies are warranted.
In terms of technology threatening people's jobs, or their ways of life by which they feel fulfilled, I do think these are somewhat warranted conversations. But time and time again, advances in technology that make people's lives easier tend to open up opportunities that allow them to use more of their skills, not the same skills to do rote tasks over and over again throughout the day. Thus, the threat of technology displacing workers has a pretty strong track record of enabling those displaced workers to upskill. Making it a less viable argument for moral panic on new technologies.
Something as simple as elevators are a great example of taking jobs. Per the Pessimists Archive:
“As the elevator gained popularity in the late 1800s, it had a profound effect on the way we organize our cities and ourselves. It was also blamed for a rise in crime, for causing something called brain fever, for destroying civil society, and more.”
The rise in crime due to automatic elevators was blamed when previously, elevators were operated by elevator attendants, which acted as conductors and security. (see graphic)
Conclusion
The framework and lens for this series have been laid out, though I’m willing to adjust over time.
In the end, I strongly believe that capitalism rewards the best products and companies long-term, even if at times it may not seem like it.
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