#TechnologyDeletion #HateTechnology #WishItDidntExist
🤔 What piece of technology do you wish you could delete from existence? 🤷♂️
We live in a world dominated by technology, from our smartphones to our cars to our homes. While technology has undoubtedly made our lives easier in many ways, there are also aspects of it that can be frustrating and even harmful. In this article, we’ll explore the piece of technology that many people wish they could delete from existence, and why it’s such a pain point for so many.
The internet has brought everyone together and has made the world much smaller, but it has also given a platform for hate speech and cyberbullying. It has democratized information but has also contributed to the spread of fake news and misinformation. What technology do you wish you could delete from existence? Here are a few examples that many people find frustrating and would gladly see disappear:
📱 Smartphones: We rely on them for almost everything, but they can also be incredibly distracting and addictive.
🚗 Automobiles: While they have revolutionized transportation, they are also a major contributor to pollution and climate change.
💻 Social Media: It connects us with people all over the world, but it can also lead to feelings of inadequacy and depression.
🎮 Video Games: They can be a fun and engaging form of entertainment, but they can also be incredibly addictive and damaging to mental health.
🚫 Spam: It clutters our inboxes and wastes our time, but it also contributes to the spread of malware and phishing scams.
While there are certainly arguments to be made for the benefits of each of these technologies, it’s clear that they also come with their fair share of drawbacks. So what can we do about it? Is there a way to mitigate these negative impacts without completely deleting the technology from existence? Let’s explore some potential solutions.
1. Smartphone addiction: Limiting screen time and implementing app restrictions can help reduce the negative effects of smartphone addiction.
2. Climate change: Investing in electric cars and advocating for more sustainable transportation options can help reduce the environmental impact of automobiles.
3. Social media pitfalls: Being mindful of our usage and cultivating a healthy relationship with social media can help mitigate its negative effects on mental health.
4. Video game addiction: Setting boundaries and seeking professional help when necessary can help address the negative impact of video game addiction.
5. Spam and cybersecurity: Utilizing spam filters and being cautious about the links we click can help reduce the prevalence of spam and protect against cyber threats.
In conclusion, while there are certainly aspects of technology that many people wish they could delete from existence, it’s important to recognize that these technologies also come with valuable benefits. Instead of wishing them away, it’s more productive to focus on finding ways to mitigate their negative effects and maximize their positive impacts. As we continue to navigate the ever-changing landscape of technology, it’s crucial to approach it with mindfulness and intentionality. Let’s strive to use technology in ways that enhance our lives and the world around us, rather than detract from it.
AI
Smartphones.
The internet was great when you had a room with a computer in it. You could go there, be online, and then leave, and real life was still real life.
Now that the internet is attached to you 24/7, there is no escape. It’s constant doomscrolling, toxic content, sensationalist news, radical politics, comparing your lives to everyone else’s on social media. And you are never bored anymore – whenever you are waiting in line, in the elevator, sitting in the car, you just pull out your phone and start scrolling. The average 20 year old spends 8 hours a day on social media. And no one WANTS to be doing this, these apps are incredibly addictive, always available, and it’s social media’s entire business model to colonize as much of our time as possible.
But they’re not going away. They’re part of our lives. So if you want to reduce your screen time like everybody else, there is a way:
1. **Don’t sleep with your phone.** The bedroom is sacred. It’s for sleep and sex, nothing else. I can’t tell you how much better my sleep was when I wasn’t doomscrolling at night, and how enjoyable my days were when they didn’t begin with social media. I keep my phone in a Yondr lockbox overnight. It is beautiful and I feel like a god over my phone, not a phone zombie like most people my age.
2. **Get a screen time app.** Screen time apps exist to help you keep your phone what it’s meant to be – a tool, and nothing more. Some are better than others. My favorite is the Present – Screen Time Tracker app because it uses gamification, rewards, and challenges against friends to motivate me to keep my screen time down. Find one that works for you.
3. **Turn off all notifications that don’t come from a real person.** Maybe even turn off notifications that DO come from a real person. Like group chats. But definitely don’t let the demon apps send you notifications like “dualipa is live on instagram.” Make your phone respect you.
NFTs
Nukes
I’d love to delete autocorrect. It’s like that well-meaning friend who constantly misunderstands you and then shouts your mistakes across the room
Sometimes I wonder what the world would be like if cell phones and social media never existed
Nothing, because someone will invent it again.
I’d say maybe it’s the annoying automated phone systems that never seem to understand what you’re saying.
I would like to remove spam messages from existence
Social Media, specifically algorithmically driven content delivery meant to drive engagement. I’m ok with people sharing pictures of their family and hobbies with friends and family but things have spiraled out of control fundamentally damaging society with conspiracy theories and political extremism driven by engagement based on fear, hate and division. I believe this to be a bigger societal existential threat than nuclear arms.
I wish we could remove technologies that promote misinformation and division in society.
I would like to get rid of annoying spam and robocalls.
it would be the alarm clock
I would like to remove autoplay videos. They constantly distract me and catch me off guard.
Social media
Unpopular opinion: individual cars. But that supposes unmaking the whole car-centric urbanism of the last 75 years…
Edit: After reading your comments, I think that people who live in rural/low population areas would be exempt, because even in the best of worlds (barring science fiction), I can’t imagine how they would do without a car. Can you?
Probably deepfakes. I’m fine with AI in general, but deepfakes and sound sampling can really do some damage, even if they fall apart under scrutiny. Too many people won’t bother to listen to anything else once they’re fooled – the damage will already be done.
Smart appliances.
Weapons of Mass Destruction… specifically nuclear bombs I guess since some WMD are not complex in nature necessarily.
Social media. It is the worst thing to have ever happened to humanity. When everyone’s opinions are weighted equally, no opinion matters and facts disappear.
The debt tracking financial institutions and criminal records. I’d love to see the man try to get back on his feet without holding that shit over people
AI so people can shut up about this topic
Proprietary software
All forms of credit reporting. It’s worse than a criminal record. They hold shit against you for way too long.
The software scam companies use to spoof numbers and fool elderly people into thinking their neighbors are calling. I can’t believe the telecom industry hasn’t been regulated into fixing this. It’s basically sanctioned fraud.
Biological Weapons
Autotune for music.
More of invention but plastics
Pollution aside, our reliance on plastics has a lot of globalization to get out of control. Imagine a world where everything has to be made within a couple hours of you
Tiktok
Cigarettes!
Cellphone
AI/chatbots
Mobile phones
The “Spies” technology in Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition
It’s not possible to run an insurgent comeback after most of your units and town have been destroyed if any of your opponents research the “Spies” technology. They can see your every move and exterminate you.
Email at work. People expect you on it at all times, to get responses in less than a day, and it invites confusion when people don’t read it the way it was meant.
I hate furbies.
we could all sleep a little better without nuclear weapons
Artificial intelligence because it will eventually start doing people jobs and they’ll be replaced.
Facebook
I often think about what the world would be like if there were no cell phones or social media.
The headlights of cars that blind you
Reels and stories
Fire, let’s roll it all the way back!