Dark Side of Tech Advancements
How Emergent Technologies Destroy Democracies.
How Emergent Technologies Destroy Democracies aka Tech’s Dark Side
The idea that technological progress invariably leads to greater democratization and freedom for society is nothing but propaganda perpetrated by those in power. While there are undeniable benefits to technological innovation, these advancements are also used as tools of oppression by authoritarian regimes. Using the Luddites of the Industrial Revolution as a concrete example of this phenomena, this article will show that emergent technologies don't democratize society, but rather enable power to be concentrated in the hands of a few. Specifically, exploring how modern technologies have enabled authoritarian governments to tighten their grip on power and suppress dissidence on a global scale.
The Industrial Revolution brought about significant changes in the textile industry, leading to reduced demand for skilled artisans. As a result, weavers and textile workers faced reduced wages, long working hours, and poor conditions. The Luddites, often misunderstood as being anti-technology, were actually labor activists fighting for better working conditions and skilled tradesmen who had lost wages. Ultimately society has replaced craftsmanship for disposable fad driven products whose ultimate value is added to an ever expanding garbage heap.
Throughout history, technologies such as radio and television have been instrumental in spreading propaganda and maintaining control over populations. In the 1930s and 1940s, Adolf Hitler's regime in Germany used radio to disseminate Nazi ideology and manipulate public opinion, while during the Cold War era, state-controlled television and radio were used by the Soviet Union to broadcast propaganda and silence dissent.
The internet, once hailed as a democratic force for good, has also been leveraged by governments and corporations to suppress freedom of expression and maintain control. China's Great Firewall allows the Chinese government to censor online content, monitor citizens' online activities, and block access to websites deemed unfavorable. Similar measures have been implemented by countries like Russia and Iran to control the flow of information online and stifle dissent. It has even been argued that information was censored by social media giants here in the US, prior to the last election.
Social media platforms have also been used by authoritarian regimes to spread disinformation, manipulate public opinion, and target dissidents. During the Arab Spring uprisings, governments in the region used social media to track down and arrest activists while spreading false narratives to discredit the protests. In Myanmar, the military used Facebook to incite violence against the Rohingya minority, leading to a humanitarian crisis. Artificial intelligence (AI) and surveillance technologies have further empowered authoritarian governments to monitor and control their populations. Facial recognition technology has been used in China to track Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang province, leading to widespread human rights abuses and detentions. In other countries, AI-driven surveillance systems have been employed to monitor citizens' movements, communications, and online activities, allowing authoritarian regimes to maintain a tight grip on power.
While technology has brought about numerous conveniences, it has limited value to the end user. Particularly with digital technologies, the tool is not welded by the public but by the tech companies. Like a carrot just out of a donkey's reach, the amusements offered by today's apps are not their purpose, but rather their true function is for unlimited data collection. Data that ranges from bio-metric parameters to where you go and what you buy to also, how you think and feel about countless subjects.
In the shadow of the COVID PASS, the promise of social credit scores and digital IDs, it is vital that we are aware that this technology we have been taught to embrace, will eventually become the chains of our imprisonment. Because technological advancements always are profitable to someone at the expense of someone else. So they are not democratizing, because they never really protect our fundamental rights and freedoms.
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