Is it fair to say that technology has only worsened conflict In society?
Modern day Luddities have decried the overgrowth of technology in our lives, claiming that it has worsened our lives. These same neo-technophobes use handphones to communicate, use social media to gain attention and even take comfort in doctors giving them the all clear. These fatalists constantly misread technology and believe that sociopolitical tensions emanate from technology. Nothing can be further than the truth. Technology has not worsened conflict in society.
Anyone that claims that technology has exacerbated the potential for war really does not understand global politics. They cite Mutually Assured Destruction (M.A.D) as Cold-War relic that still has significance today. Or these doomsday proponents will raise Ronald Reagan’s Strategic Defence Initiative (S.D.I) as an additional example to bolster their weak M.A.D argument. Little do they realize that technology has infact reduced the need for destructive weapons. With military powers gaining technological advances, they have been able to map and track every pontial trouble and threat with satellites, sophisticated eavesdropping devices and surveillance. Now everyone knows what everyone else is doing. The recent war between Armenia and Azerbaijan proved that technology could reduce conflict and collateral damage.
Ignorant science fiction readers constantly get their kickers in a knot when artificial intelligence (AI) is mentioned. Instead of being happy at the progress of technology, they highlight how Boston Dynamics has produced a series of robots that will bring the end of mankind. Such people understand little about economics and productivity. One would go so far as to say that the reruns of Terminator have corrupted their mind to the extent that no logic can work on them. AI’s use is most effective in crunching large data and producing meta-analysis that can be useful. The use of AI in smart decision making, managing repetitive tasks, solving complex problems and enhancing medical science is set-aside and disregarded over science fiction that makes no economic sense.
Technology has provided underprivileged communities with tools needed to combat systemic inequalities. One might further argue that while minorities have historically, always, and inevitably been underprivileged groups susceptible to the prejudices and discrimination, with today’s technology many groups have become more empowered. These represent an entirely new set of tools with which underprivileged groups can finally effectively contest their marginalisation. Social media, online learning, and online activism have enabled minority groups to bring attention to their plight, although it might not be significant in bringing immediate change. To say that technology has brought conflict is unfounded. Technology only worsens conflict because it is unbridled and unregulated, without a strict ethical code of application and laws to prevent its misuse. So long as technology and innovation are coupled with an effective, extensive and comprehensive set of laws and regulations, its negative impact can be minimised while the myriad of positives it brings are fully explored and enjoyed.
There is no doubt that technological development has been almost single-handedly responsible for the astonishing improvement in global standards of living as witnessed in the past three centuries. In itself, this has reduced the potential for conflict, because outright war is disincentivised in a time of material comfort that risks ruination were conflict and disruption to arise. Technology has not worsened conflict.