The Future of Technology and the Connected World
Right now, as you read this article, you are being monitored. It isn’t as exciting as a spy movie but all your information is being processed by various entities, such as three letter agencies¹ and service providers. Don’t fret about this though, as it is the toll one must pay to make use of the internet.
Even though most of the tech savvy and enthusiasts are well aware of the hidden cost of our modern lifestyle, many of the general public don’t grasp that the new forms of media consumption, social interaction and productivity based on the internet have an inherent risk. Thus, we are creating this publication in order to provide those foreign to the technosphere with a space that lets them better understand and become aware of the ongoing and future trends of our ever-increasingly connected world.
The Panopticon
Without a doubt, the most pressing issues that arise out of our constant use of technology are related to privacy, surveillance, security and how our interaction with digital technology is changing the course of our real lives. As a consequence, we’ve drawn a parallel to Jeremy Bentham’s Panopticon, as a concept that encompasses the situation accurately. That is, we are not always under surveillance but we could very well be. We should feel as if we were observed at all times. Social networks, friends and family, governments and algorithms are part of a grand machine that endlessly processes information and data without discriminating, permanently encroaching into even the most trifling aspects of our life. Hence the title.
It concerns all of us, regardless of who we are
No nationality, race, religion, political ideology, age or gender immunizes us to the risks involved with using technology. By owning a device and connecting it to the internet we are automatically put at risk. As a consequence, we commit to writing without affiliation of any kind. We merely want to state the truth from the lens of a group of university students concerned with our relationship with the media, social networks and technology.
Following that commitment, we apologize in advance for any inaccuracies or oversimplifications, as we are by no means experts in the matter and our writing journey is just getting started. However, we assure you that the entirety of this publication will be curated and upheld to the best standards of quality we may offer.
¹ Just an informal name for government agencies with enough power to establish surveillance operations.
