Since time immemorial, technological advancement has been pretty much synonymous with the concept of progress, from the inventions of gunpowder and the printing press in the 9th and 15th centuries, respectively, to the innovation of the personal computer and the establishment of the World Wide Web in the late 20th century.
Of course, progress itself is an inherently ameliorative term, associated with the overall “improvement” of the human race – getting smarter, stronger and improving the ways in which we live and function in our everyday lives.
But, is progress always positive? Does technological innovation necessarily lead to overall good for human beings? Or, are we allowing the supposed net positive results of technological advancement overshadow potential problematic ramifications?
Paul Hague, CEO of BlackDice Cyber, believes that these problematic ramifications are not just “potential”, they’re very real, and we’re witnessing them materialise in real time. Furthermore, in addition to being very much a real thing, they’re also more than just “a little bit of an issue”.
Our constant improvement of technology is leaving no part of our lives unaffected, and in an increasing number of ways, our supposed “progress” at the hands of innovative tech is having a very negative impact on humanity in ways that’ll likely not only be etched in the anthropological history of humans, but will change us and society altogether.
The “Erosion of Imagination” In Plain Sight
But, what exactly is this”negative impact” we speak of?
Something that immediately comes to mind is a stereotypical parent or grandparent scolding their children and grandchildren for spending too much time on their cell phones or in front of the television. It’s reminiscent of a very familiar generational trope – “back in my day, children climbed trees and rode their bicycles”.
We may have rolled our eyes at this back in the day, chalking it up to the standard resistance of ageing people to change, but in reality, our parents and grandparents may very well have been onto something very real, whether knowingly or not.
Hague asserts that the incredible world of tech in which we are immersed – a world we built ourselves – is swallowing us whole. But, unlike Jonah, humanity isn’t being saved by the whale. Assuming the whale is symbolic of the so-called technological revolution of the 21st century, it’s being unwittingly exiled to a future void of the most important aspects of what makes us human, the belly of the whale representative of a cold, emotionless future free of individuality, emotion and imagination.
Whether inspired by a cliched fear of progress or more of an intuitive concern over technology’s potential impact, it’s becoming clear that Gran and Grandad were onto something. It seems as though with every technological step forward – the release of each new iPhone and celebrity voyage to space – we’re taking two steps back.
Indeed, we find ourselves in somewhat of an existential paradox.
The most incredible scientific and technical minds are imagining and creating innovations beyond the comprehension of ordinary people, creating unfathomable possibilities for human life while simultaneously removing our need to be creative, emotional and unique.
So, what happens when we eradicate our sense of wonder? How can we be both brilliant and regressive?
Advancing Beyond the Mundane: Boredom As a “Lost Superpower”
In Paul Hague’s opinion, we’ve progressed to a point of having “engineered out friction” – we’ve almost made life too easy, with boredom having become a distant memory and the “joy of stillness” an almost incomprehensible thing of the past. Ultimately, his point is that our lives and the processes that govern them are almost too efficient, leaving no, or very little, room for boredom.
At face value, the idea of being able to do away with boredom entirely is somewhat attractive, but what about all the things that boredom inspires us to do? Hague believes that friction creates thought – it inspires us to think and imagine, motivated by the necessity of solving problems and making life easier.
“Boredom builds creativity. Boundaries support development. And without this, something essential is lost.”
Indeed, the inherent conundrum is that while boredom breeds innovation, actually achieving innovation means that there’s less of a need to continue to create – we remove the possibility of being bored, and in doing so, we inadvertently we put the breaks on progress. It seems as though, perhaps, our ultimate goal of technological supremacy, so to speak, could also mean the demise of true humanity.
Many people believe that this phenomenon is most obviously present in the behaviour of children – little ones who epitomise innocence and naivety, with minds so easily pliable and opinions so quickly influenced. Today, children are not only surrounded by technology, their lives (and very existences) are dependent on it in every way imaginable. They’ve never known a world in which tech didn’t rule our lives – a time during which cell phones didn’t fill every pocket, AI couldn’t write emails for us and self-driving cars were a mere figment of our imaginations.
Due to no fault of their own, children are living in a world ruled by tech, not only providing them with entertainment when they get home from school but actually helping them learn, answering questions and explaining problems in the classroom, and so, so much more.
It’s the dependence of these little minds on technology – and, consequently, a culture of constant maximum efficiency and instant gratification – that is often the easiest way for us to see the effect that tech is having on our lives. It’s the stark contrast between the childhood of the modern kid and our own that seems to be most effective at driving home the point.
That is, “presence is rare. Stillness feels foreign,” and “productivity has been confused with perpetual stimulation.”
The Future of Tech and the Neccessity of a “Cultural Reckoning”
But it’s not only children who are at risk. As adults, we like to believe that we’re in complete control of ourselves and our lives, but in a way, it may be time to accept the possibility that we may have pushed technology to advance so far that we’ve almost lost control. That rather than us merely using tech, tech is starting to use us. Not in a dystopian way necessarily, but a scary prospect nonetheless.
So, what does that mean for humans and our future?
First and foremost, this concern over the progress of technology and its all-encompassing nature isn’t necessarily linked to “anti-tech” sentiment – not at all.
Indeed, Paul Hague asserts that he views himself as being “quite the opposite”. He believes that tech has a great deal of power to improve the world – “to protect, enhance and elevate human life”.
But, in order for that to be our reality, it needs to be controlled and moderated. The aim for technology should be for it to “create presence” rather than remove it – it should add to our lives rather than become our lives – kind of like how a parent may wisely teach a teenager that a romantic partner ought to make their life better rather than become the centre of their universe.
We need technology to support and contribute meaningfully to the lives and world we want to live and live in, and ultimately, it’s still possible for this to become our reality. Innovation and progress aren’t irreversible, it’s just going to require a great deal of work and intentional action to ensure that our priorities are where they need to be.
Ultimately, our focus ought to be on being aware of and responsible for that which we create.
Paul Hague puts it simply – “the systems we’ve built can be rebuilt. And the shift starts with asking better questions, designing with care and remembering that some of the best parts of being human happen when we look up.”
