#technopanic

[thecole]

I love Jessica Ringrose & QuERI’s research. Great work with youth about gender & sexuality in schools. I do find myself wishing I came away with more things to do with young people at camp.

I do think camps’ phobia of all things technology tells kids that camp people will be totally unhelpful with anything related to the digital world. The classic camp advice of “turn off your phones and get outside” does nothing to help kids navigate social media, much less digital sexual harassment and abuse. In fact, I suspect it’s more likely to encourage unhealthy avoidance and not help kids exist in the networked society we live in.

Snippet:

we need to pay attention to the vast range of unsolicited, non-consensual sexual content there is and equip young people to address it

[fishmech]

None of this is new, of course. In 2008, Alice Marwick, then a PhD Candidate at New York University, coined the term “techopanic”: “Technopanics have the following characteristics,” Marwick writes. “First, they focus on new media forms, which currently take the form of computer–mediated technologies. Second, technopanics generally pathologize young people’s use of this media, like hacking, file–sharing, or playing violent video games. Third, this cultural anxiety manifests itself in an attempt to modify or regulate young people’s behavior, either by controlling young people or the creators or producers of media products.” A lot of this has been lost to time, but many of the same anxieties about TikTok were also true of Myspace 15 years ago. “Some of the most harmless aspects of MySpace would have crushed me at 14,” the writer Caitlin Flanagan wrote rather hilariously in retrospect now in The Atlantic in 2007. “Members get to list their ‘Top 8’ friends, a list they can change at whim. It’s an ingenious number, because it’s just large enough to make exclusion really hurt—eight people, and there wasn’t any room at all for me?” There were also reports of Myspace-related fights breaking out between teen girls at schools. “The willingness to express oneself in public seems to mark a generational shift in attitudes to privacy,” The Financial Times wrote in 2006. “Younger generations raised on the internet have fewer qualms about revealing their secrets in public.” And, at Myspace’s height, the British press launched a massive campaign against the risks of being emo. The Daily Mail declared that, “no child is safe from the sinister cult of emo.” None of this is to downplay the very real issues young Myspace users had — predators, revenge pornography, cyberbullying, and being convinced that wearing a children’s extra-large T-shirt with a white belt and purple skinny jeans was a good look. But I want to put this new explosion of TikTok panics in perspective. None of these issues, or even the more outlandish nonsense about Satanic viral trends or compulsive tics, are new. And what’s even more frustrating is that a lot of this stuff eclipses the new real problems TikTok users are grappling with, like being bombarded nonstop by conspiracy theories, cults actively recruiting on the app, content that promotes body dysmorphia.

- https://www.garbageday.email/p/the-myspace-top-8-is-destroying-society

[prince-opossum]

TECHNOPANIC

[catboysalmon]

The technopanic while ghostbur just stands ominously outside his house ancnnsnff

[sgtbossman]

Does anyone have that Tumblr/Yahoo/AT&T net neutrality post? Because it's total bullshit and I want to debunk it. Not that it matters because it's spread far and wide now but it's not true.

[asternevermore]

Analytical Reflection

As time goes on technology advances faster than what most people are ready for. This causes generational gaps, and panic to spread as people do not understand these new technologies. Technopanics are nothing new in the human world. They have been happening since writing was invented. However, these panics are usually dispelled when there is enough evidence to show support for the technology. For example, prosthetics might have been seen as scary or even give someone a bad quality. In reality, though they are helpful for the person using it. Some technological advances are scary though. Human head transplants and cryogenics are a couple of scary technological advances. Although, the technology for these procedures is there is still a lot of work that needs to be done so they are successful. In our world, humans are no longer the smartest species. Humans have invented supercomputers that can detect diseases in humans, and that can win at Jeopardy. These computers have led to the creation of the first humanoid AI and helped progress driverless vehicles. While these computers are smarter than humans they are still connected to the Internet of Things. This Internet of Things connects everyone and everything to each other. It allows people to access a plethora of information that they might not be able to access otherwise. Along with these advances humans have gotten to the point where they can enhance the human body with mechanical parts or their genetics. Along with Cyborgs humans have discovered ways to make art with biomechanics. With all of these advances, some people look forward to the future while others are more hesitant. Techno panics are things that should be considered but they should be looked into and researched instead of reacting blindly to them.

Techno panics are nothing new to the human race. As the younger generations grow into these new experiences the older generations become more scared by the changes. In the article “The Six Things that Drive “Technopanics” the author writes “Parents and policymakers who dread the changes to cultural or privacy-related norms ushered in by new technologies often forget they, too, were children once and heard similar complaints from their elders about the gadgets and content and of their generation.” (Thierer, 2012). Although this article is old it still holds true today. Most of the older generation, especially those from the Baby Boomer generation, seem to have a lot of problems with technological advancements that would save our planet, or even make us more connected. Techno panics are spread through the media which will usually over exaggerate the technology into something scary and evil. The article “Techno-Panic reporting: The Media Deserves No Mercy” writes “ It's tough to find any large news organizations that don't turn technology into the star villain of every story in which it is even tangentially related--and they aren't afraid to misrepresent the facts to do so.” ( Carab, 2011). Media places a huge role in everyone's lives. We all watch the news or at least get some form of it on social media daily. This leads to multiple interpretations and multiple misinterpretations on subjects. While prosthetics are not scary and they have been around for decades they are still undergoing significant changes.

Prosthetic limbs have been around for decades and have changed exponentially. They have gone from immovable objects to being able to move individual fingers and potentially feel things. However, many of these high tech limbs have no use in most jobs, like farming. In this class, we viewed a source where a dairy farmer had a high tech arm that was basically useless for him since it would just get damaged from the work he does (Eveleth, 2014). Prosthetics have been around for centuries according to archaeologists. In the article “Future prosthetic: towards the bionic human” they write “Archaeologists have found examples of replacement body parts from ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome. These range from the crude — wooden peg legs and strap-on toes — to primitive, but still impressive attempts at limbs with hinged joints.” (Nathan, 2018). It is interesting to think about ancient prosthetics as it is not something people usually consider. The new prosthetics that can move individual fingers are possible thanks to the Internet of Things and Supercomputers.

The internet of things is essentially the internet everyone is using every day. It connects all of your devices together, and it connects everyone to each other. The Internet of Things shares all sorts of data. One thing that was discussed in class was the issue of 3D printed guns and how they were going to be controlled. The article used for this anthology discusses how there are still people publishing blueprints for weapons anonymously. One of the people interviewed for this article, named Ivan the Troll, said “If they [the government] were to come after me, they’d first have to find my identity. I’m one of many, many like-minded individuals who’re doing this sort of work.” (Hanrahan, 2019). This is scary to think about since it seems that the people sharing these articles do not seem to care about the safety of other people, or they just have a general dislike of the government trying to control them. This is a techno panic that should frighten people, but should not be completely banned. There are many uses for this sort of technology and it could be beneficial. One thing is that if something were to happen guns could be produced in a large quantity fairly quickly. Another thing would be to use these models as a way to print replacement parts in the field. Granted the technology would need to be more advanced for that.

With the vastness of the internet and the advances in technology, we have reached the point where cyborgs can become a very real thing. In Issac Arthur’s video, he explains how we have already passed the point where we will become cyborgs. He is essentially arguing that we are already cyborgs in our own right. However, he makes the distinction between someone who has a prosthetic and someone who has a bionic eye for example. In class, we were asked a question at one point if we thought we were like cyborgs since we were connected to our phones. I argued against the theory, but after watching Arthur’s video I have begun to rethink my opinion. 

All of these advances I discussed seem scary and some of them are. For example, the 3D printed guns sound terrifying to some people, however, it does hold some beneficial effects. Many people fear the day that robots will become a common entity and that they might take over the world, but in reality, robots taking over the world seems to be the exaggeration of science fiction movies. Likewise, cyborgs already walk amongst humans in the sense that people may have bionic body parts, or other mechanical parts to enhance their bodies. Techno panics are things that should be considered but they should be looked into and researched instead of reacting blindly to them.

Works Cited

Carab, Marcus (2011, February 4th) Techno-Panic Reporting: The Media Deserves No Mercy. Retrieved from https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110131/09311312896/techno-panic-reporting-media-deserves-no-mercy.shtml

Eveleth, Rose (2014, March 5th) When State-of-the-Art is Second Best. Retrieved from https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/article/durable-prostheses/

Hanrahan, Jake (2019, May 20th) 3D-printed guns are back, and this time they are unstoppable. Retrieved from https://www.wired.co.uk/article/3d-printed-guns-blueprints

Nathan, Stuart (2018, January 4th) Future prosthetic: towards the bionic human. Retrieved from https://www.theengineer.co.uk/future-prosthetic/

Thierer, Adam (2012, March 4th) The Six Things that Drive ''Technopanics' '. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/adamthierer/2012/03/04/the-six-things-that-drive-technopanics/#295cabdc70b0

[engl212ant-mgradowski]

For a long time people were willing to give their information over to any company that asked for it, but after the issues with Facebook and the 2016 presidential election people are much more careful. Waymo claims that they do not need to take peoples personal information and they claim that they never will ask for it.

[erinemmrich-blog]

Techno-Panic  #1

[thorsonk]

ENGL 212 Anthology Project Bib

References

 (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SE3gXRKBNHc.

Adams, R. L. (2017, November 6). 10 Powerful Examples Of Artificial Intelligence In Use Today. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/robertadams/2017/01/10/10-powerful-examples-of-artificial-intelligence-in-use-today/#db69b3d420de.

Ball, P. (2017, January 8). Designer babies: an ethical horror waiting to happen? Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/jan/08/designer-babies-ethical-horror-waiting-to-happen.

Bioart: An introduction. (2015, November 23). Retrieved from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/11/151123203619.htm.

Carr, N. (2018, June 13). Is Google Making Us Stupid? Retrieved from https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2008/07/is-google-making-us-stupid/306868/.

Castro, D. (2019, March 5). The U.S. May Lose the AI Race Because of An Unchecked Techno-Panic. Retrieved from https://www.datainnovation.org/2019/03/the-u-s-may-lose-the-ai-race-because-of-an-unchecked-techno-panic/.

Herrman, J. (2017, December 5). The Return of the Techno-Moral Panic. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/05/magazine/the-return-of-the-techno-moral-panic.html.

Hiley, C. (2019, December 10). Future phones - what to expect from future mobile phones. Retrieved from https://www.uswitch.com/mobiles/guides/future-of-mobile-phones/.

Magnimind. (2019, June 17). 10 Powerful Examples Of AI Applications. Retrieved from https://becominghuman.ai/10-powerful-examples-of-ai-applications-553f7f062d9f.

Marr, B. (2018, August 23). 7 Amazing Real-World Examples Of 3D Printing In 2018. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2018/08/22/7-amazing-real-world-examples-of-3d-printing-in-2018/#6979281c6585.

Mathias, C. (2018, November 12). Future of Smartphones: 5 Predictions for the Next 5 Years. Retrieved from https://www.itprotoday.com/mobility/future-smartphones-5-predictions-next-5-years.

Miley, J. (2019, March 25). 9 of the Future Cybernetic Augmentations We Want Now. Retrieved from https://interestingengineering.com/top-9-cybernetic-upgrades-everyone-will-want.

Opinion: Swiveling seats and sound 'bubbles': What the inside of cars will soon be like. (2019, November 25). Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/22/perspectives/autonomous-cars-tech-panasonic-automotive/index.html.

Our Cyborg Future is Coming (And That's Not a Bad Thing). (2019, September 19). Retrieved from https://www.freethink.com/videos/our-cyborg-future-is-coming-and-thats-not-a-bad-thing.

Payne-Frank, N., Pierce, J., Susman, D., & Gormley, J. (2019, March 28). The biggest revolution in gene editing: Crispr-Cas9 explained – video. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/science/video/2019/mar/28/the-biggest-revolution-in-gene-editing-crispr-cas9-explained-video.

Penna, M. D., Penna, M. D., Michael, Penna, M. D., Penna, M. D., & Michael. (2018, September 24). How the Internet of Things changes everything. Retrieved from https://martechtoday.com/internet-things-changes-everything-202482.

Sofge, E. (2018, February 15). Smart Bionic Limbs are Reengineering the Human. Retrieved from https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/health/a7764/smart-bionic-limbs-are-reengineering-the-human-9160299/.

Tangermann, V. (2018, January 17). The future is here: six of today's most advanced, real-life cyborgs. Retrieved from https://futurism.com/six-of-todays-most-advanced-real-life-cyborgs.

Thierer, A. (2012, March 18). The Six Things that Drive "Technopanics". Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/adamthierer/2012/03/04/the-six-things-that-drive-technopanics/#2cbd31bb70b0.

Whiteman, H. (n.d.). Your brain could be backed up, for a deadly price. Retrieved from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321235.php#1.

[sltracy88-blog]

Anthology Project

Shanna Leigh Tracy

The future might seem scary to think about. From driverless cars, robots walking among us, human enhancements, even the thought and option to be able to freeze yourself and be woken up years from now. Head transplants, or uploading your brain/memory to a computer, parents being able to edit their babies genes, and also the creation of state of the art prosthetics. The possibilities are endless when it comes to the future, specially with how far technology has come.

In the article “More than 70% of US fears robots taking over cars” 70% of people have expressed their concern over robots taking over human tasks. (Solon, 2017) At least I’m not the only one who feels this way. People are worried that machines are going to take over their jobs and they won’t be needed anymore, which is totally understandable because if the machines take over then how will we make a living? That and having a computer drive us around and be in charge of our safety scares us. It’s hard to understand how a driverless car would be safe.

One of the biggest techno panics is the time cars become driverless. The inventors say that driverless cars will be safer, since some humans are distracted, drunk, or falling asleep at the wheel. (Slolon, 2017)  But the public still isn’t convinced and either am I. It sounds dangerous and unsafe.

Now let’s talk about freezing your body, or in other words Cryonics! Which is an option for an attempt to preserve your body. “Suspended animation” however could be possible for more shorter time periods. Suspended animation is a concept used to explain how to help people in trauma. It’s the process in which animals deanimate, appear dead, and then wake up again appearing to be unharmed. (Roth, 2010) In other words, it’s like shutting down the body and then restarting it again. They have found that hydrogen sulfide decreases damages you could recieve when you are exposed to a leathly low amount of oxygen. So when they give you the hydrogen sulfide it can lower the oxygen level in your body to stop any further damage in your body. (Roth, 2010)

It’s kind of neat, yet scary how you can freeze your body in hopes to live again one day in the distant future. It’s scary because how will you know you will even wake up? What will the world even be like? To me personally I wouldn’t do it. It would be like waking up and not knowing anything, it would be a whole new world and you more than likely wouldn’t know anyone and it would probably be a totally different lifestyle. On the other hand I wouldn’t mind at all to have hydrogen sulfide help me if ever I was in trauma. I find that more beneficial than Cryonics, to me cryonics is like a 5% success rate, but then again I’m not a scientist and maybe there is more than one life to live?

The bionic body is also showing advancements in the field of prosthetics. In addition to prosthetic limbs, which are more versatile and user-friendly, researchers have developed functioning prototypes of artificial organs that can take the place of one’s spleen, pancreas or lungs. And an experimental implant that wires the brain to a computer holds the promise of giving quadriplegics control over artificial limbs. (Brumfiel, 2013)

With The Internet of Things (IoT) also on the rise we will soon see a change in the way we also shop and go about our everyday life. IoT offers us many opportunities to be more efficient with how we do things, from saving time and money.

When it comes to genetically modify ourselves or even our children, do we also have an ethical responsibility? In the future it might be something people will be doing all over the world. Since we have limitations in terms of aging, cognitive, various physical limitations, and of course moral limitations, science offers us the opportunity to overcome these limitations. Not only genetically modifying ourselves but physically enhancing our bodies as well. Bioart which is art using live human and animal tissue, bacteria and living organisms for materials. The bionic body is also showing advancements in the field of prosthetics. In addition to prosthetic limbs, which are more versatile and user-friendly, researchers have developed functioning prototypes of artificial organs that can take the place of one’s spleen, pancreas or lungs. And an experimental implant that wires the brain to a computer holds the promise of giving quadriplegics control over artificial limbs.

Thinking about the future and taking a step back and realizing how so much has changed over the years it doesn’t make me feel as nervous for my own future. Head transplant, driverless car, and robots living among us honestly doesn’t seem too far fetched. We have come such a long way that we can only go further. The past 50 years and even 20 years we have seen so much, it really makes me start to wonder what the next 20 or 50 years will bring. A real eye opener that technology is constantly evolving. Nothing to scary has happened yet.

What technology honestly has to offer we are really only seeing the start of it. Looking at the timeline of inventions over the years we are obviously coming a long way technology wise especially with computers, and robots. Eventually the time will come when we will have driverless cars out there and robots walking around, even working!  History’s greatest technopancis ranged from writing, books, newspapers, the light bulb, and the telephone which may seem silly now but it also shows us that maybe driverless cars wouldn’t be so scary after all. (BBC, 2016) But like I said above, technology has come so far. How far can we go without going to far? Driverless cars do not seem as simple as having books, newspapers, and even the telephone. But then again back in the day people probably thought the same thing. Therefore looking at what the future has to offer I think we will benefit greatly.  

References

http://www.ted.com/talks/mark_roth_suspended_animation_#t-11341b

https://gizmodo.com/why-freezing-yourself-is-a-terrible-way-to-achieve-immo-1552142674

http://waitbutwhy.com/2016/03/cryonics.html

https://ideas.ted.com/the-ethics-of-genetically-enhanced-monkey-slaves/

https://slate.com/technology/2015/02/stelarc-and-other-contemporary-artists-experiment-with-science.html

https://www.wired.com/2011/07/bioart/

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/the-insane-and-exciting-future-of-the-bionic-body-918868/

(18 May 2014). WORLD OF TECH-12 TECHNOLOGIES THAT SCARED THE WORLD SENSELESS.

Retrieved from https://www.techradar.com/news/world-of-tech/12-technologies-that-scared-the-world-sensless-1249053

(25 July 2016). BBC NEWS FUTURE-HISTORY’S GREATEST TECHNO PANICS. Retrieved from

www.bbc.com/future/story/201607001-historys-greatest-technopanics

(04 October 2017). THE GUARDIAN- MORE THAN 70% OF US FEARS ROBOTS TAKING OVER CARS.

Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/oct/04/robots-artificial-intelligence-machines-us-survey

[camerondusenbery]

Techno Panics Through History

https://fee.org/articles/todays-techno-panic-would-have-killed-the-printing-press/

https://techliberation.com/ongoing-series/ongoing-series-moral-panics-techno-panics/

https://www.connectsafely.org/our-history-of-technopanics/

https://medium.com/@willrinehart/the-rhetoric-of-technopanics-and-why-it-matters-a78870048ee0

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/05/magazine/the-return-of-the-techno-moral-panic.html

[jaquaya99-blog]

Techno-Panic Through History: Link 1

https://www.forbes.com/sites/adamthierer/2012/03/04/the-six-things-that-drive-technopanics/#7094973370b0

[lindsayhagenoweng212-blog]

Techno-panics

- https://techliberation.com/ongoing-series/ongoing-series-moral-panics-techno-panics/ 

- https://www.forbes.com/sites/adamthierer/2012/03/04/the-six-things-that-drive-technopanics/#c9cc5e170b0c 

- http://crisisforums.org/discussion/46963/social-commentary-cartoon-i-fear-the-day-when-technology-overlaps-humanity 

- https://bigthink.com/technology-innovation/fear-future-technology