Technological development is a wonderful thing. We now routinely use products that would have seemed almost magical just a few years ago. The Net has proved (and is still proving) to be a great paradigm changer. New kinds of products and services are sprouting like weeds in a garden. Yet, I cannot help feeling that as all this technology weaves itself into the fabric of our existence, we are coming to depend on it like crutches. Technology is having the paradoxical effect of empowering us and at the same time impoverishing us.
Since the Industrial Revolution started, there has been an ever increasing explosion of new technology rapidly coming into our lives. Each new wave has taken a shorter period of time to become an integral part of our lives and the pace is picking up. But as we plunge into this brave new world of increasing technological dependence, perhaps we are giving up a kind of freedom without even realizing it. Each gadget/toy/tool that we use puts certain demands on us. It is rarely the case that technology adapts itself to our current way of doing things. In practice, there is a period of mutual adaptation as we figure out how best to use our latest shiny new toy. In the process, how we do something changes often without our realization. On the occasions when we do realize this, we justify it as better way of doing things. The problem is that soon we are dependent on this new technology and if it gets taken away for whatever reason, we are suddenly left helpless. There are many examples of this phenomenon. If we lose our cell phones, not only do we feel helpless and out of touch, we also lose our contact list. Previously, most of us could remember approximately 10 of our most commonly used numbers. Now that we have transferred our contact list to our mobiles, we can barely remember one or two. Another example: we increasingly use computers for personal and work reasons. If something happens to our machine, our work is at the very least severely impacted. Similarly we are slowly giving up face to face contacts in favor of a more impersonal form of communication proffered by mobiles and the Net.
We are right now in the middle of a grand social experiment. Until fairly recently, the introduction of new technology (while being increasingly fast paced) was sufficiently slow that we could adapt to it in some fashion. Since 2000 however a kind of a tipping point seems to have been reached. New technologies are being introduced at an ever increasing pace. With them come new ways of work, social and personal interactions. However, these new forms are also increasing our dependence on the technological tools that enable them. While this increasing dependence can be exhilarating and invigorating, it also exposes us to difficult to recognize dangers. The release of the stuxnet virus is an illustration of this. An extremely sophisticated form of computer malware, it deliberately targeted systems being used by Iranian nuclear facilities. In many respects, this virus is a watershed event. It has shown that sophisticated attacks on vital infrastructure can be done remotely. It is only a matter of time. On a more personal level, large number of people have already experienced identity thefts. Since a large portion of our lives is now online, it has become easier to impersonate thereby causing financial and possibly physical harm.
What will be the end result of this ever increasing dependence on technology? It is hard to say. What can be said is that while we gain from our technological dependence, it is not a free lunch. There is a price to pay. Exactly what that price will be will become clear gradually. The crucial question by then will be was it worth it?
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