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Analytical Reflection

As time goes on technology advances faster than what most people are ready for. This causes generational gaps, and panic to spread as people do not understand these new technologies. Technopanics are nothing new in the human world. They have been happening since writing was invented. However, these panics are usually dispelled when there is enough evidence to show support for the technology. For example, prosthetics might have been seen as scary or even give someone a bad quality. In reality, though they are helpful for the person using it. Some technological advances are scary though. Human head transplants and cryogenics are a couple of scary technological advances. Although, the technology for these procedures is there is still a lot of work that needs to be done so they are successful. In our world, humans are no longer the smartest species. Humans have invented supercomputers that can detect diseases in humans, and that can win at Jeopardy. These computers have led to the creation of the first humanoid AI and helped progress driverless vehicles. While these computers are smarter than humans they are still connected to the Internet of Things. This Internet of Things connects everyone and everything to each other. It allows people to access a plethora of information that they might not be able to access otherwise. Along with these advances humans have gotten to the point where they can enhance the human body with mechanical parts or their genetics. Along with Cyborgs humans have discovered ways to make art with biomechanics. With all of these advances, some people look forward to the future while others are more hesitant. Techno panics are things that should be considered but they should be looked into and researched instead of reacting blindly to them.

Techno panics are nothing new to the human race. As the younger generations grow into these new experiences the older generations become more scared by the changes. In the article “The Six Things that Drive “Technopanics” the author writes “Parents and policymakers who dread the changes to cultural or privacy-related norms ushered in by new technologies often forget they, too, were children once and heard similar complaints from their elders about the gadgets and content and of their generation.” (Thierer, 2012). Although this article is old it still holds true today. Most of the older generation, especially those from the Baby Boomer generation, seem to have a lot of problems with technological advancements that would save our planet, or even make us more connected. Techno panics are spread through the media which will usually over exaggerate the technology into something scary and evil. The article “Techno-Panic reporting: The Media Deserves No Mercy” writes “ It's tough to find any large news organizations that don't turn technology into the star villain of every story in which it is even tangentially related--and they aren't afraid to misrepresent the facts to do so.” ( Carab, 2011). Media places a huge role in everyone's lives. We all watch the news or at least get some form of it on social media daily. This leads to multiple interpretations and multiple misinterpretations on subjects. While prosthetics are not scary and they have been around for decades they are still undergoing significant changes.

Prosthetic limbs have been around for decades and have changed exponentially. They have gone from immovable objects to being able to move individual fingers and potentially feel things. However, many of these high tech limbs have no use in most jobs, like farming. In this class, we viewed a source where a dairy farmer had a high tech arm that was basically useless for him since it would just get damaged from the work he does (Eveleth, 2014). Prosthetics have been around for centuries according to archaeologists. In the article “Future prosthetic: towards the bionic human” they write “Archaeologists have found examples of replacement body parts from ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome. These range from the crude — wooden peg legs and strap-on toes — to primitive, but still impressive attempts at limbs with hinged joints.” (Nathan, 2018). It is interesting to think about ancient prosthetics as it is not something people usually consider. The new prosthetics that can move individual fingers are possible thanks to the Internet of Things and Supercomputers.

The internet of things is essentially the internet everyone is using every day. It connects all of your devices together, and it connects everyone to each other. The Internet of Things shares all sorts of data. One thing that was discussed in class was the issue of 3D printed guns and how they were going to be controlled. The article used for this anthology discusses how there are still people publishing blueprints for weapons anonymously. One of the people interviewed for this article, named Ivan the Troll, said “If they [the government] were to come after me, they’d first have to find my identity. I’m one of many, many like-minded individuals who’re doing this sort of work.” (Hanrahan, 2019). This is scary to think about since it seems that the people sharing these articles do not seem to care about the safety of other people, or they just have a general dislike of the government trying to control them. This is a techno panic that should frighten people, but should not be completely banned. There are many uses for this sort of technology and it could be beneficial. One thing is that if something were to happen guns could be produced in a large quantity fairly quickly. Another thing would be to use these models as a way to print replacement parts in the field. Granted the technology would need to be more advanced for that.

With the vastness of the internet and the advances in technology, we have reached the point where cyborgs can become a very real thing. In Issac Arthur’s video, he explains how we have already passed the point where we will become cyborgs. He is essentially arguing that we are already cyborgs in our own right. However, he makes the distinction between someone who has a prosthetic and someone who has a bionic eye for example. In class, we were asked a question at one point if we thought we were like cyborgs since we were connected to our phones. I argued against the theory, but after watching Arthur’s video I have begun to rethink my opinion. 

All of these advances I discussed seem scary and some of them are. For example, the 3D printed guns sound terrifying to some people, however, it does hold some beneficial effects. Many people fear the day that robots will become a common entity and that they might take over the world, but in reality, robots taking over the world seems to be the exaggeration of science fiction movies. Likewise, cyborgs already walk amongst humans in the sense that people may have bionic body parts, or other mechanical parts to enhance their bodies. Techno panics are things that should be considered but they should be looked into and researched instead of reacting blindly to them.

Works Cited

Carab, Marcus (2011, February 4th) Techno-Panic Reporting: The Media Deserves No Mercy. Retrieved from https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110131/09311312896/techno-panic-reporting-media-deserves-no-mercy.shtml

Eveleth, Rose (2014, March 5th) When State-of-the-Art is Second Best. Retrieved from https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/article/durable-prostheses/

Hanrahan, Jake (2019, May 20th) 3D-printed guns are back, and this time they are unstoppable. Retrieved from https://www.wired.co.uk/article/3d-printed-guns-blueprints

Nathan, Stuart (2018, January 4th) Future prosthetic: towards the bionic human. Retrieved from https://www.theengineer.co.uk/future-prosthetic/

Thierer, Adam (2012, March 4th) The Six Things that Drive ''Technopanics' '. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/adamthierer/2012/03/04/the-six-things-that-drive-technopanics/#295cabdc70b0

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