The Technological Future: A Glimpse Over The Horizon

Abstract

Since humanity began to innovate, technology has been intertwined in our social sphere. From its beginning, technology has been on the path of evolution, inching its way forward through innovation. Modern analysis of this phenomenon indicates that technology is now taking bounding leaps, which appear to be leaving man behind. This path, believed by those who have dedicated their lives to innovation, is forged by man who continues to emit dominance over technological advancements. Other scholars, who will be discussed in this paper, feel that technological advancements have more than a one-sided effect of which is often obscured from humanity’s vision. These unforeseen and sometimes unpredictable effects have given way to a shift in social order and birth to a new hierarchy. As the continuation of these technological advancements rise exponentially, it has never been more important to question how these advancements will affect the social realm and change the people within.

Francis Bacon is often referred to as the father of innovation. It was he who provided the world with the gift of the scientific method, and over time this method has delivered an overwhelming quantity of innovation. What is often unnoticed or disregarded is the constraining nature of the scientific method. It provides an efficient and effective approach to conducting empirical research and furthering knowledge. It also dictates the correct approach to human thought and by doing so constricts human choice. These constraints are allowed to cage the human mind because of the benefits they provide to humanity. New innovations offer the illusion of choice, however; any decision to eliminate one technology for another is simply the act of choosing one set of constraints for an alternative set. This effect is global and there are some who feel this will lead to devastating consequence for humanity, if they have not already.

Technology has quietly redefined some of the most influential and definitive characteristics of mankind. Freedom, truth, intelligence, wisdom, fact, and memory have all been redefined as innovation has become more widespread. For something to hold so much power, it seems unlikely that it would go unquestioned. However, this has been indeed the case for the past hundred years. As humanity enters an age that is increasingly digital and reliant on technology, the importance of asking questions regarding moral and ethical value becomes imperative. This would require a dramatic shift in how humanity perceives itself. Such a change may be nearly impossible according to Neil Postman who claims that “technology creates the ways in which people perceive reality” (1993).

The changing perception of reality can be traced back to the days of hunting and gathering. In tool based cultures, tools were used to “solve immediate problems and were governed by rules and limits”(Postman, 1993). These limitations were integral to the management of these technologies and techniques. With rules in place, these innovations did not conflict with world-views but instead were integrated into the culture. Man remained in control over the application of techniques and was therefore free from their tyranny. The tools were ingenious and constructed with productivity of the physical environment in mind. In this way, they fit into an ideology that promoted dominance over technology. At the same time that humans were inventing technology, techniques became a way of life. Techniques are defined by Jacques Ellul as, “the totality of methods rationally arrived at and having absolute efficiency in every field of human activity” (1964). In other terms a technique is something that is agreed upon by a majority of people to be the absolute correct method of approach. When a society shifts toward a more technique oriented method of thinking, it becomes what Postman defines as a “technocracy” (1993). The tool transforms from a simple object to something that proves useful and beneficial to mankind. The tools of a technocracy do not synergize with the culture but instead attacks traditional norms. The scientific method is viewed as the beginning of the technocracy phase of society for its attempts to improve the human condition through innovation. As society shifted from the viewpoint that tools were only assets to a view that humans required innovation in order to function properly,there came a shift in societal order. Human culture is no longer defined by their religion or social customs but instead is dependent on the drive to invent. With this impulse come a lack of responsibility and a lack of ethical standards. It became more important to create methods of inventing rather than question why it is we need to improve upon something. Belief systems shifted and focused on objectivity, expertise, standardization, progress, and most importantly efficiency. With greater efficiency comes a greater speed at which humans can innovate. The stress placed on progress for the sake of progress loosened societal ties to spiritual and political realms and by doing so formed a new social order. Those with genius and the ability to invent new technologies became the dominant force in society. Their actions in the realm of technological advancement would forever change what was defined as art, the family, and the political world. So the world entered a new stage of being; the world became a technopoly.

Postman defines a technopoly as a “totalitarian technocracy” (1993); one where the primary goal of human labor is efficiency. In a technopoly, human judgement is devalued and there is a greater emphasis on the abilities of machines and techniques. One impact of these societal changes is the transition of information from a useful tool to a priceless commodity. Information is transformed into a necessity that the world is in constant demand of and those with the ability to access it area top the new social order. Postman acknowledges that this newly defined information is different from previous knowledge. In the past, information would serve a purpose, whether it was for survival or served cultural significance. In a technopoly, information is “severed from all meaning and cultural significance”(1993). The link between information and human purpose is shattered as information becomes an inexhaustible resource; accessible by many but lacking purposeful boundaries.

This new social order is reliant on technology to provide itself with definition. Machines are the most prominent example of new innovation. Ellul defines the machine as “the ideal version of a technique” (1964). The machine has created a new type of social development, one which is conscious of its own transformations and is based on intelligence and rational thinking. The rationality of technique forces a mechanical organization in multiple realms of the cultural sphere including the division of labor and production standards. This phenomenon is highlighted in the work of Max Weber. According to Weber, rationalization refers to the replacement of traditions, values, and emotions as motivators for behavior in society. In place of these traditional norms are rational and highly calculated ideas. The dehumanization as an effect of such thinking is clearly evident with the roles that machines play in people’s lives. It also creates the illusion that mankind through innovation, subordinates the natural world.It is not humans who become the driving force in a technopoly, it is the technology. Nature is forced to bend to the will of techniques and technology.While innovation remains focused on bettering mankind, it has been confined within the foundations that past innovation has set in place. Ellul uses education as an example of our forced adaptation. The humanities have suffered greatly at the hands of technique. It has become common thought that for an individual to fill the role as a successful citizen they must follow the path that leads to the highest economic status. Often this path involves careers which center on technologies advancement, which further sends humanity into a state of technopoly. These are often the same people who believe technical progress is humanity’s greatest achievement.

The redefining nature of technology that Postman highlights, and the impacts of technique that Ellul warns of, can be identified within institutions of consumption. The impact of technology on consumerism is identifiable in what George Ritzer refers to as the need to “enchant the disenchanted” (1999). The rapid innovation of technology has twisted the traditional Marxist notion of means of production on its head. Means of production refers to physical and non-human inputs used in production. These include capital assets used in the production of wealth and are often identified as machinery and tools used factories. New technologies are now focused on improving what Ritzer redefines as the “means of consumption” (1999). In the world of consumption, all efforts are made to increase the amount of time buyers spend in an environment that promotes consumption. Ritzer classifies such places as “cathedrals of consumption” (1999), hinting on the worship of commodities that takes place in society. These cathedrals can be identified from shopping malls to athletic facilities, gated communities, educational institutions, hospitals, and museums. The new means of consumption is founded on the principles of enchanted settings. These settings attempt to bring an aspect of “magic” (1999) into the social world. To accomplish this, technology and techniques form a symbiotic relationship.

Disney World is an example of an enchanted institution. Through technological means, Disney World creates a setting that is controlled by technology and functions on techniques.The environment is rigorously patrolled through thousands of cameras which capture any activity they deem unsuitable for the magical setting that has been created. They create their own class hierarchy by determining who is allowed inside and in doing so; form an environment where undesirable people are excluded. Techniques create an efficient, structured method of controlling the populace. From the ticket gates at the door to the lines for rides, techniques create an environment that promotes control and consumption. Without the combination of these two notions, technology would not be able to exert such overwhelming control over people. Likewise techniques would not be covered under the veil of magic that technology provides.

One of technologies primary efforts is towards the improvement of efficiency. Efficiency is one the most influential factors within the new means of consumption. The development of the express package “revolutionized the ability of consumers to obtain commodities” (Ritzer, 1999). The consumer gained the ability to purchase items at an increased rate, which promotes over consumption. The speed of delivery provided a magical aspect to consumption with the low-cost and lack of effort by the consumer. Another example of technology promoting consumption and manifesting magic was the invention of credit cards. Credit cards provide the illusion of cost-free spending by allowing payment to come at later dates.Without the physical exchange of currency for goods and services consumers are encouraged to spend more than what they have.

Technique,efficiency, and rationalization can all be identified within modern shopping centers. Grocery stores have recently replaced checkout stands with automated machines that require the consumer to produce their own labor in order to pay for their goods. The largest principle “of uncertainty and unpredictability are people” (Ritzer, 1999). Technology is founded on the principle of being predictable and certain and so they have removed the human aspect of labor altogether. Weber’s greatest fear regarding rationalization was the dehumanization of society. With the implementation of these machines comes the loss of a traditionally stable middle class job. What should be seen as a warning to society of technology’s dehumanizing capabilities is instead witnessed as a blessing because of the increased amount of efficiency. The stores are more than happy to pay less in wages and customers are able to
increase their rate of consumption. Social relations become superficial,dealing more with speed than actual interaction. The interaction that does occur involves intercommunication between an individual and an object; there are no longer human elements involved. The lack of communication and machine like treatment of individuals is just one of the impacts that technology, techniques, and rational thinking lead society towards.

While past theorists sought to raise awareness of technology’s impacts to human relations, more recent scholars believe that technology is eroding individuality. Jaron Lanier is one such scholar who identifies technology with physical and immaterial identity. People no longer identify themselves through traditional characteristics, but instead use technology to determine their social status. Reliance on technology leads to the loss of individuality as the mindset of society becomes pack like. In the current age of web development the focus for developers has been on emphasizing the crowd mentality. By doing so, the web is de-emphasizing individuality and is organizing people into a collective mass.

The creation of the World Wide Web is the most relevant and recent example of the synergized efforts between technique, technology, and rationalization. As Lanier notes, the “web started with the belief that individuality must be empowered” (2010). In the beginning of web development, those who innovated on the internet would do so freely and without boundaries. The developers were composed of volunteers who attempted to achieve new forms of innovation to improve humanity. Over time the carnivorous nature of capitalism combined with consumption methods, transformed the web into a platform built for advertisers and monopolistic companies.

In 2012 and 2013 the California based company, Electronic Arts, was the winner of The Consumerist’s reader voted ‘Worst-Company in America Contest’. The video game publisher and content creator was exposed as being implicated in unethical and immoral human rights issues. In 2004 a spouse of an EA employee published a journal, outlining the company’s malpractice in regards to the treatment of its employees. The article summarized the treatment of employees as if they were cogs in a machine rather than human beings. Forced to work brutal hours without compensation, all in the name of the consumer, the workers suffered multiple episodes of mental and physical health issues. After these issues were brought to the attention of the public, the company was forced to pay out several legal claims and subsequently change their policies toward employee treatment. However this did not spell the end of the company’s questionable practices. In 2013, the company fired off 10%of its entire workforce. At the same time they began to ‘nickel and dime’ the consumers by charging small amounts of money for content that had already been purchased. The annual revenue for EA is estimated to be around $2.5 billion dollars. The amount of money that funnels down to the actual content creators is but a fraction of this gross capital. The unethical treatment of human employees, the lack of revenue reaching the actual content creators, and the human rights issues that arise by focusing solely on the consumer are what Lanier fears the digital economy will bring to all industries. The magic that had become the foundation for cathedrals of consumption had become a part of the internet and web based corporations. With this growing need to mine profit out of the web and new technologies, all focus was placed on appeasing the consumer. Ethics took a backseat to the aesthetic appeal of commodities including apps, websites, and games.

The illusion of an environment that supports creativity in fact dooms such thinking. Artists,musicians, and authors are forced to establish their creations in systems built to exploit their potential earnings. Lanier offers an alternative system of payment in the digital economy that could potentially rebuild the dissolving middle class. The key mark of this proposed economy is the utilization of micropayments for commodities and services. Such a system would eliminate the need for companies that seek to exploit the content producers that are integral to populating the middle class.

The dehumanizing aspects of technology and techniques are already being witnessed in modern society. As innovation of technology continues to increase at an exponential rate, the moral and ethical obligations of developers is to question their inventions with regards to societal impact. For human interaction, defining characteristics, and the middle class to survive the rapid development of technology, society must be made aware of the negative consequences that innovation supplies. The current rate of innovation is transforming humanity into a mechanical and collective mass that feeds on a wealth of information in order to justify its purpose. If the current trends continue, the middle class that stabilizes the economy will be forever dissolved and humanity will be stripped of its defining characteristics; transforming into a collective mass of consumers.

Works Cited

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