The touch screen technology we are all accustomed to today has completely revolutionized and changed the way we use technology. From our phones, to computers, to cars, microwaves, televisions, everything seems to have touch screen capabilities. We now no longer need a map to find where we are going, GPS navigational systems are programmed into our cars and our phones. We can see a person’s face and have a conversation with them while they are on the opposite side of the globe, and there are even cars that can drive themselves. However, 10 years ago this technology was no where near as possible and useful as it is today. We come in contact with new technology every day, and everyday newer and better technology is released. However I pose the question, can technology become too powerful?
I was reading an article online that was published in TIME magazine, and it talked about how technology today is rapidly accelerating. It explained that the computer technology of today is rapidly increasing in ability because of the fact that yesterday’s technology is used to build tomorrows, and that the growth of technological advancements is based on the concept that all innovation builds off the previous technology. So it got me thinking, what if this growth of technological ability gets out of control? Can technology become too powerful?
When I researched the topic, I found an article written that discussed how Technology will affect us in the future. And this study, suggested numerous points and possibilities that are somewhat unsettling. As one of the main points in the article, the writer discussed the impact technology had on economic factors and working conditions. As machinery has been further and further developed, it has taken claim to more and more of jobs that were previously held by humans. Could it be possible that eventually machines could take all of or most of the jobs we have now as humans?
This question can be related to a main theme in a book I read in High School, “Player Piano,” by Kurt Vonnegut. The plot of the story is that machines have put man out of business, and can do all the jobs that humans previously had done. The main character Paul, created the machines that eventually took his job, and there is a revolution to try and restore the ways of the old world, in which everything was not ran by machines. The book is quite interesting, and I would encourage those of you who have not read it to read it.
Another aspect to look at in terms of technology becoming too powerful is the impact it has had on warfare. A pretty scary thought to think about is, what we as humans have developed as weapons of mass destruction that could end the existence of the world as we know it. To put the largeness of these weapons of mass destruction in perspective, The United States of America constructed a bomb known as the B53, that was 600 times more powerful than that of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima. These weapons exist because of the rapid technological advancements we have made as humans, and at what point does it become too powerful?
The possibility of machinery taking over our world is improbable, and I do believe that humans have enough knowledge and sense to not set off the weapons of mass destruction we have created, however there is still always the possibility that looms over our heads, and the constant question that remains, Is technology too powerful?
Sources:
http://longnow.org/essays/technology-moving-too-fast/
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2053179/US-dismantles-B53-nuclear-weapon-600-times-powerful-Hiroshima.html
http://www.angelfire.com/trek/playerpiano/overview.html
http://cs.stanford.edu/people/eroberts/cs181/projects/technology-dangers/issues.html