What kind of a technological future do you want to see

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Reference no: EM133352014

Case Study: So far in this course, we have been framing our discussions of the technologies of the present by relating them to the societies of the past. We have considered how technologies shape our present society by "locking us in" to decisions that others have made a long time ago. These decisions are the "constitutive choices" that we discussed in Module 2: how should technological systems be built? Who should design these systems? Which models or versions should we use, and what motivates those decisions? In this module, we will consider how the technologies of the future might be shaped by the society of the present. What kind of ideas are currently informing the development of technologies that might shape the future?

One of the key ideas from this Unit is that many of the technologies that are being built today are the outcome of a particular mindset shared by many people who work in Silicon Valley. We have been referring to this as "technological solutionism," a belief that technology is the best way to address social problems (as opposed to changing laws, electing new types of political leaders, or changing society from the ground up). As we discussed in Module 8, technological solutionism is often based on applying an "if ... then" logic to thinking about social issues (for example, "If obesity is a problem, then designing an app to suggest healthier food choices is a solution"). The theorist and author James Bridle (2018, p. 4) refers to this mindset as computational thinking:

Computational thinking is an extension of what others have called solutionism: the belief that any given problem can be solved by an application of computation. Whatever practical or social problem we face: there is an app for it. But solutionism is insufficient, too; this is one of the things that technology is trying to tell us. Beyond this error, computational thinking supposes-often at an unconscious level-that the world really is like the solutionists propose. It internalizes solutionism to the degree that it is impossible to think or articulate the world in terms that are not computable.

James Bridle's point is that one of the risks of relying on a technological solutionist mindset is that the model might not work, or in other words map might not match the territory. In the example given above, an app nudging people towards healthier food choices might not work if it is used by a person who lives in a "food desert" (an area without grocery stores and where healthy food is not available). Or, perhaps someone works long hours on the late shift, and eating fast food is the only realistic option for them. The point is, there are always assumptions that are going to be built into technological solutions.

One reasonable counter-argument is that these social issues are merely a problem of the present that will be fixed by the technologies of the future. According to this view, we may not currently have enough data to find the "right" solutions to our problems, but, at some point in the future, those system will work much better, and will be much fairer.

It is true that technologies can and likely will improve over time, and that some of the mistakes of the past will be corrected by the technologies of the future. But it is also true that this process does not happen automatically: it will only happen through sustained effort, and through participation by a wide range of people. As Ramesh Srinivasan (2019, p. 313) writes in his book Beyond the Valley, we should try to move beyond thinking about technology as "bad" or "good," and instead start asking ourselves what kind of technologies we think will help us build the future we want:

Beyond a simplistic approach that judges whether a technology is good or evil, I believe we can ask more important questions, the kind that will actually help us move past the malaise and get excited and mobilized about where we go now with technology: in whose image are these powerful technologies produced? In whose interest? What paths are left to conquer for those driving at breakneck speed through the tech revolution? And for that matter, what are the dynamics build into "conquering"? Rather than produce and develop technologies without thinking much about what they may mean-socially, culturally, psychologically, even spiritually-we might want to take an honest look at where our world can heal, become more equal, dignified, and balanced.

Whatever your personal beliefs are, it is helpful to consider where information technologies line up with your values, and where they do not. As we continue to advance towards an increasingly technological future, what are the technologies you want to see? What kind of a future do you want?

QUESTION: What kind of a technological future do you want to see? Is this a likely path for technology to take? What would it take for this future to materialize?

Reference no: EM133352014

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