91探花

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 鈥渋mprovement鈥� of the human race 鈥� 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 鈥減otential鈥�, they鈥檙e very real, and we鈥檙e witnessing them materialise in real time. Furthermore, in addition to being very much a real thing, they鈥檙e also more than just 鈥渁 little bit of an issue鈥�.

Our constant improvement of technology is leaving no part of our lives unaffected, and in an increasing number of ways, our supposed 鈥減rogress鈥� at the hands of innovative tech is having a very negative impact on humanity in ways that鈥檒l likely not only be etched in the anthropological history of humans, but will change us and society altogether.

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The 鈥淓rosion of Imagination鈥� In Plain Sight

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But, what exactly is this 鈥渘egative impact鈥� 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鈥檚 reminiscent of a very familiar generational trope 鈥� 鈥渂ack in my day, children climbed trees and rode their bicycles鈥�.

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 鈥� a world we built ourselves 鈥� is swallowing us whole. But, unlike Jonah, humanity isn鈥檛 being saved by the whale. Assuming the whale is symbolic of the so-called technological revolution of the 21st century, it鈥檚 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鈥檚 potential impact, it鈥檚 becoming clear that Gran and Grandad were onto something. It seems as though with every technological step forward 鈥� the release of each new iPhone and celebrity voyage to space 鈥� we鈥檙e 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?

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Advancing Beyond the Mundane: Boredom As a 鈥淟ost Superpower鈥�

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In Paul Hague鈥檚 opinion, we鈥檝e progressed to a point of having 鈥渆ngineered out friction鈥� 鈥� we鈥檝e almost made life too easy, with boredom having become a distant memory and the 鈥渏oy of stillness鈥� 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 鈥� it inspires us to think and imagine, motivated by the necessity of solving problems and making life easier.

鈥淏oredom builds creativity. Boundaries support development. And without this, something essential is lost.鈥�

Indeed, the inherent conundrum is that while boredom breeds innovation, actually achieving innovation means that there鈥檚 less of a need to continue to create 鈥� 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 鈥� 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鈥檝e never known a world in which tech didn鈥檛 rule our lives 鈥� a time during which cell phones didn鈥檛 fill every pocket, AI couldn鈥檛 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鈥檚 the dependence of these little minds on technology 鈥� and, consequently, a culture of constant maximum efficiency and instant gratification 鈥� that is often the easiest way for us to see the effect that tech is having on our lives. It鈥檚 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, 鈥減resence is rare. Stillness feels foreign,鈥� and 鈥減roductivity has been confused with perpetual stimulation.鈥�

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The Future of Tech and the Neccessity of a 鈥淐ultural Reckoning鈥澨�

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But it鈥檚 not only children who are at risk. As adults, we like to believe that we鈥檙e 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鈥檝e 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鈥檛 necessarily linked to 鈥渁nti-tech鈥� sentiment 鈥� not at all.

Indeed, Paul Hague asserts that he views himself as being 鈥渜uite the opposite鈥�. He believes that tech has a great deal of power to improve the world 鈥� 鈥渢o protect, enhance and elevate human life鈥�.

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 鈥渃reate presence鈥� rather than remove it 鈥� it should add to our lives rather than听become听our lives 鈥� 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鈥檚 still possible for this to become our reality. Innovation and progress aren鈥檛 irreversible, it鈥檚 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: 鈥渢he systems we鈥檝e 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.鈥�