People fear what they don’t understand. That fear often turns into blame, and right now, technology is the latest scapegoat. But blaming technology itself for manipulation, misinformation, or social control is like blaming a hammer for a broken window, or blaming paper for a hateful manifesto.
A gun doesn’t kill on its own—it needs someone to pull the trigger. A hammer doesn’t decide what to build or destroy. Paper doesn’t choose the words written on it. These are all tools. And tools, by their nature, are neutral. Their impact—good or bad—comes from how people use them.
Technology is no different. It reflects the intent of the person using it. The algorithm doesn’t have ethics. The code doesn’t have desires. If technology is used to deceive or manipulate, that’s a human choice, not a machine one.
Technology is a mirror. It shows us who we are and what we value. The real question isn’t whether if it’s dangerous—but whether we are mature enough to wield it wisely.
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Some tools are so powerful that they their use needs to be regulated. So no.
Technology is fundamentally a neutral phenomenon. I agree. Gun control advocacy would improve instantly if they pursued more pragmatic solutions that acknowledge this, but I digress.
Meanwhile, there’s a fairly convincing argument that the atom bomb has saved incalculable lives simply by existing.
It’s an interesting topic.
Why we on this topic?
Mostly comes down to interpretation and use. Technology alone does not solve all problems and in some cases creates imbalances. We should embrace future innovation but we also need to learn from previous mistakes.