The Betrayal of Technology
In 1954, the French philosopher Jacques Ellul put forward an idea that remains true to this day. In fact, it is an idea that makes more and more sense, and will undoubtedly carry greater weight and become increasingly evident from now on.
Ellul stated that technology, which was supposed to be a tool created with the intention of liberating us, invariably led us to the opposite. In other words, there would be a phenomenon akin to betrayal.
A need gave rise to ingenuity, which then led to creativity and mastery, creating something new that would free us from the burden of that task, or the difficulty and tedium of performing a physical or even mental task, but in the end, it ended up enslaving us. Yes, enslaving. The word does seem very harsh, but that is indeed what happens; we simply do not realize it, and we are led into another reality—not by force or coercion, but rather by a SECOND necessity!
Who would have thought that something that created a constraint within us—and that would serve as the starting point for developing something to free us from that constraint—would give rise to a new need?
The moment a technology or method solves one of our problems, it ends up creating more than just one dependency.
Let’s take a look. Let’s start with one of the most common examples in society: the car. The car was invented to transport us quickly from one place to another, without having to spend a lot of time, energy, or effort. At first glance, it seems we were merely freed from the problem of the distance between two points, when in fact we ended up chained to rush-hour traffic, stress, accidents, car insurance, and more than ever to the prices of the energy used to power vehicles... And today we all see fuel prices rising week after week, don’t we?
Here’s a second example that we all have—and some of us have more than just one device: the smartphone. The smartphone puts the world practically at our fingertips, shrinking the distance between people to the touch of a screen, and instantly letting us hear the voice of that close friend of ours who’s on the other side of the continent. A solution is presented, but various needs are created. We all see how most young and not-so-young people spend almost the entire day looking down at something they hold in their hands. If one of our great-grandparents were to come into the world and look at this, what would they say we’ve become? Have you ever thought about it? A need is created within us to always be available and always online!
Technological society, as I’ve mentioned here a few times in previous posts.
Technological society is a “new” world in which efficiency is the greatest of virtues. It is, and always ends up being, the driving force behind the actions and global decisions of individuals, families, companies, and nations… Anything that can be optimized or improved must be. We have entered this unbridled madness of trying to save time, when in reality we are handing it over on a silver platter to futility.
The rhythms that were once biological and human have today, by the force of efficiency and technology, become mechanical, mathematical, and quantitative rhythms.
It all ends up being a betrayal. We act with the best of intentions, to free ourselves, and without our consent we end up imprisoned in a vortex of ever-increasing needs.
Once a particular technology is adopted on a large scale, there is no going back to the “old ways.” Once it takes root and is accepted by the majority, becoming the “baseline,” it is society that must reorganize itself “around” it and move forward from there.
Let’s look at how this happened with the banking system. Some of you, if you’re from my generation, still remember accompanying your parents to a bank branch. The lines to deposit or withdraw money, or even to request checks. Imagine how it would be possible to handle tens of thousands of transactions every millisecond?
Or, how would we be able to apply for a job, go to a job interview, or even get a job if we didn’t have access to email? Our parents and grandparents used to type up their resumes, then photocopy them, and then put them in envelopes to send to the various companies, firms, or places we were applying to... Weeks later, after a few rounds of screening, we’d be contacted by phone (landline) or by mail to go to a specific job interview. Today, all that has changed. Job platforms search the job market in real time, gather the best opportunities, and then hold an online conference where the person is hired, starting work the very next day—and sometimes even from home!!!!
From invisible obligations to manufactured needs.
Modern technology has become a driving and defining force behind a new social order. A new order in which “efficiency is not an option, but a necessity.”
It is not we who will adopt a particular technology—nor will we ever be the ones to do so—but rather the exact opposite… And today, that technology is shaping everything in its own image…
Image by Pexels from Pixabay
Original text written by 
