Everyone loves new technology. It adds an extra dynamic to your life, increasing productivity and opens doors to new, immersive entertainment. What we usually forget to consider, is the long-term effects of new technologies and addressing them before they are released to the public and implemented. Society usually waits until the impact becomes serious before making change.
The first major occurrence of this that comes to mind was the second industrial revolution in the late-19th century. Like the first industrial revolution from the mid-18th century, they both had negative side effects including the reduction of jobs, however these steps were necessary to progress humanity forward the way it has. The major negative effect of the second industrial revolution that we are seeing today is pollution. As the second industrial revolution introduced electrically powered manufacturing machinery, larger and larger amounts of electricity was required to keep up with demand, rapidly increasing the amount of fossil fuels being burnt. The effect of this on the atmosphere was never considered, until the effects of climate change have become more obvious in recent times. Now the world is taking action, and it is clear that manufacturing is a major contributor to the consumption of electricity.
Social media has had a more rapid timeline in comparison, first being introduced in the last years of the 20th century, exponentially gaining popularity. Again, the negative effects whether they were known by their creators or not were not publicly recognised or dealt with. I am not suggesting social media should have been cancelled, but it should have been researched, regulated as well as educated about during its early stages. We are now faced with a generation addicted to social media as a means for validation, as well as a habitual dopamine release mechanism. It is not too late, however the damage has been dealt, and now changes are being made for the better.
We should embrace new technologies, however be weary and encourage doing your own research before jumping in, although most of this is not dictated by the general civilian. With the exponential growth of technology still occurring, especially in the area of artificial intelligence, regulations must be put in place to allow humanity to grow in the most positive way possible.
