22. ChatGPT — a fear of new technology
Last few months a shockwave of fear is spreading throughout Globe. A fear of ChatGPT. Reading on Medium, blogs news portals. Primal fear? Irrational one?
A few days ago a Tim Dennings newsletter make me think about it.
“ChatGPT Is Massively Overhyped. It’s Time We All Calmed Down.”
Is this fear of ChatGPT fear of new technology?
When I read Tim’s piece my brain started to dig through the archives.
First what came up to my mind was history’s first movie projection by the Lumiere brothers. “Arrival of the train” first shown in 1895 caused panic in the audience because people thought that train will kill them all.
Next, my brain sends me fear of machines or better fear that machines will take over our jobs. Following this is fear of robots taking over our jobs.
Then in the ’80s was a fear of computers (my father bought a Commodore 64 for me). Needless to say, whenever I mention the ’80s Mirko is so happy. Always make jokes on me about the ’80s.
You know, Mirko is my friend and an IT company owner.
After my brain dig up Edison spread fear in the “War of currents” of Tesla’s alternating current. It will kill us all.
Fear of speed. The train is going 30 km/h. Speed will kill us.
The latest what we experienced is fear of vaccines, 5G, bank cards, GMOs, Earth is flat so we can fall off it…the list is endless.
A friend of mine had a bank card that expired in 2018. He went to the bank to ask if he can continue using this card to redraw the money from the bank clerk. He won’t use it for ATMs or paying highway tolls. Not in the million years. The funniest fact is that he works in IT using new technology every day. His explanation was that he knows best how “they” can steal his money. Like he has millions of euros in the bank. Like banks didn’t protect us from all the events.
Another example of irrational fear is my aunt who is a chemical engineer and never uses detergents. The explanation is that she knows best what kind of chemistry “they” use.
GMO food is another example I experienced. In 2010 my significant other and I went to Las Vegas to visit her maid of honor. Las Vegas is in the desert and the heat is huge. So, every day we eat organically produced watermelons. With a big sign on it saying “ORGANIC”.
Fresh, cold juicy watermelons by the pool. On the second day, something was odd, and then on the third day I realized what is wrong. There are no pits in watermelon. A plant without pits. Sure, this is how nature intended. A plant that cannot reproduce itself. Organically grown? Yeah, why not.
Is it me or whole human race is on the way down?
Technophobia is what I have found in one of the medicine portals that explained:
“Technophobia is not a clinical diagnosis in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). Still, as technology has expanded rapidly in recent years, some clinicians treat technophobia like a specific phobia. Specific phobias are irrational fears of a particular situation, object, animal, or interaction. The fear isn’t in proportion to the actual danger.”
Yes, fear is irrational and nature is intended to protect us from danger. But in absence of real-life-threatening situations like a lion or bear attack our brain has to think of something. The Amygdala way is for sure a faster but not necessarily the right way.
A little more about the fear in the ’80s. In the ’80 there was a global survey about fear. In the ’80s there was a country Yugoslavia and also global survey about fears was conducted among their citizens. While citizens of other countries were answering that their biggest fear was about losing their jobs, economic insecurity, and other existential matters, citizens of Yugoslavia stated their biggest fear was fear of snakes.
Technology was improving during human history and things will always be like that. For every job lost new technology has created 10 new ones.
What is the answer?
Education, learning, schooling, studying, teaching, pedagogy, tutoring, instruction, guidance, enlightenment, developing, improving. Expand your knowledge.
In the end, don’t get me wrong. I am not advocating for or against it. Just saying fear is irrational and first try to learn about some new technology and then decide.
Changes are inevitable. We cannot stop it. Just learn and join the change.
I refuse to live in fear!
