Technology is a way of doing things, and doing things are either good, evil or indifferent. It isn’t always about getting faster computers, more powerful gaming hardware or more efficient car engines – it’s about what you do with them. Guns don’t kill people, people kill people.
Our ways of doing things have totally changed through time. Now, we get news fast, instant messaging & powerful mobile gadgets from cameras to laptop computers. Most of us even have probably experienced the rise and fall of compact disks. It’s all moving so fast that I think even parents have a hard time coping up with their kids & trends. The line of what’s right & wrong is starting to get blurry.
But I’m not here to lecture anyone about morality. I’m here to talk about how powerful influences could easily change our future for the worse using technology. Aside from possible nuclear warfare & a far-fetched zombie apocalypse, I’m looking at the government’s way of handling us – the citizens.
Governments are taking advantage of technology to further their own interests – one great example of this is the U.S. Government. If you haven’t heard of PRISM, well where have you been for the past months? You should go catch up here.
In a nutshell, the surveillance project, PRISM, basically means that the National Security Agency of the U.S. can see through everything you have on the internet – even the ones you have passwords on as they have access to Facebook, Yahoo, Google & other internet giants. If you’re not yet as worried, then knowing that they spied on other foreign leaders should make you think again. With that said, it made me much more skeptical about the always listening & always watching Xbox One & the always listening Moto X - both of which are from American companies.
Google applied for a patent of a microphone tattooed to your throat
I’m not saying that they’re spying on us right now using the said tech, but I do have to mention that the NSA has been spying on lots of people for decades. What’s worse is that issues like these are unregulated without checks & balances. Once these technologies have been embedded into our culture & lifestyle, it will be very hard to pull out. Aside from that, we’re just making a lazier generation. In the end, activists could become slacktivists.
In addition to these always watching & always listening technologies that the government might be using, there’s also the sudden shift to cloud solutions. Companies want you to pay them to let you store your data in their servers for accessibility. Also, online transactions are also starting to gain traction through NFC, mobile wallets & Bitcoin. There’s a huge possibility that we might all become dependent on these services & “conveniences” in the future.
Now, there are always two sides to a story. Technology isn’t all bad, and isn’t all good either. In addition to those two sides, I’m pretty sure people will be divided on the issues of privacy & an all-seeing government – so I’ll leave a quote here below:
“Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” -Benjamin Franklin
In the future, we’re just going to have to try and change for the better. Be more aware & get engaged. Let’s not get very spoiled with new tech every now and then. Consumerism is consuming all of us, and with each day passing under abusive governments & corporations, the whole system just keeps getting less sustainable.
‘You know how movies usually portray an evil well-controlled highly-advanced totalitarian state? Well, that’s how these companies’ new innovations have made me feel like visualizing for the past few days. I hope that wasn’t a foresight; I hope it’s just paranoia.
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