The Consequences of Technology

The articles written by McConnel and Healy, as well as Baudrilliard's theory on Simulacra and Simulation, all convey common themes in regard to technology and its consequences. They basically say that the inventor of a certain technology is incapable of seeing the undesired and negative consequences of the aformentioned technology.

I agree with these authors in that aspect of their theories. Healy mentions the Internet and cloning as two examples of incredible innovations in technology that have different scopes of negative consequences. In my opinion, the only negative consequence of the Internet is the amount of porno that is watched while using it. I'm sure the creators of the world wide web did not intend for seventy five percent of its users to be accessing the Internet for sexual reasons. Some may argue that it reduces the privacy of people, with social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. In reality, if you think those sites invade your privacy, just don't use them!

The other technology Healy mentioned was cloning. This technology is highly controversial, although it is still in its early stages. The main problem here, as mentioned in the article, is the possibility of human cloning. The cloning of humans could bring all sorts of ethical and political problems. I personally think cloning should be aloud, as long as it is regulated and administered by the government. If human cloning happens successfully, doctors could harvest unlimited amounts of fresh and healthy organs to give to patients in need. An obvious undesired and negative consequence would be having someone like Hitler step forward and breed an army of superhumans to take over the world, but I think this is a little too "science fiction" to actually happen. I believe the only real negative and unforeseen consequence of cloning is from an ethical standpoint. McConnell also noted this by talking about Frankenstein creating life, which is basically the same thing as a scientist cloning a human. They are playing God. The ramifications of this could lead to world-wide fanatic religious wars.

In conclusion, pretty much anything we do can have unanticipated consequences, not just technology. I could wake up and decide to wear a t-shirt, and undesired and negative consequences could occur for the rest of my day because someone doesn't like the slogan on it. As long as technology is advancing, there will always be negative aspects, but there is also all the positive results. Without technology, infant mortality rates would still be high and I wouldn't be able to check on my girlfriend's Facebook whenever I think she's cheating! Just kidding. Basically, unless technology becomes so controlling that a cyborg is sent from the future to terminate us, I think technology's positive advancements outweigh the negative ones.