Is Technology Good or Evil?

I often get asked the question: “Is technology Good or Evil?”

We all know the evils technology can unleash. Weapons of mass destruction, the virulent falsehoods of social media, the life-destroying power of the internet.

But we also know the good that it can produce. Healing the sick, feeding people in third-world countries, producing clean water, reconnecting long-lost friends, showing us the glorious universe we live in.

So which is it? Good or bad?

The real answer? Neither.

Technology is simply possibility. It gives us the opportunity to do great good, or great evil. It lets us create endless clean energy — or inhuman amounts of death.

We have the choice of how to use it. And that means we have the responsibility to choose well.

But that responsibility extends beyond how we use current technology, to how we direct technology’s future development. Regardless of what you think of his legacy, people like Elon Musk have shown us that individuals can change the course of what gets developed, setting humanity down paths that had previously been ignored.

And it’s not just dot-com billionaires who have this power. The rise of communication technologies mean that your actions have an impact stretching around the world. Every time you share something, every time you comment, every time you click or like or read — you’re helping to set the agenda for how networks and communities and technologies develop.

Over time, those impacts pile up, becoming the soil out of which the next wave of change grows. Just look at a few different social communities, and notice tone, culture, and attitude — and you’ll start to get a sense of how much difference small choices can make.

We have the choice to spread goodness and kindness and hope, or to spread fear and anger and ignorance. We can use our technology for good or evil. We can develop our technology towards good or evil ends.

We have the choice and the responsibility, because that’s what technology is:

The power to act.

That’s how I see it. What do you think?

Thanks to those who asked this question! I’ll be sharing more thoughts over the next few days and weeks. Follow along on my email list to explore these subjects more in-depth.

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