In recent years there has been an increasingly looming concern about the dire consequences of rapid technological growth. Many believe that these advancements make us over-reliant on devices which will cause a disguised but sure deterioration of human cognitive work and hand control over to artificial systems. In addition, there is another school of thought that claims our technological capacity is amplifying most if not all human vices. These arguments have become a prevalent theme in political debates, books, movies, music, and other art forms.

Although there are obvious drawbacks to our machines, however; are we to take such large-scale claims seriously or are we just being bombarded by fictional Comic book propaganda? Even if such assertions were true (which we will assume in this article), is the solution really to limit technological growth? In this article, I challenge this proposed solution because it does not deracinate the problem but cuts it at the stem- causing an inevitable revisiting.

To begin with, there is no doubt that the frequent technological milestones raised new problems the world has never faced before. In times past, bullying was usually confined to a school- creating a safe space at home. Now, bullies have extended reach to our children at home as long as one has a username and password. In addition, our society is having heightened cases of depression, social anxiety, and mental illness attributed to social media usage. To add to that, we now have more creative and sophisticated ways to kill each other in wars and conflicts than ever before.

Nonetheless, strict technological control is not the answer. It leaves too many questions unanswered: who is going to be this unbiased (reasonably) controlling agent? Won’t people just break the new laws- as they do now?

Most importantly, technological supervision is a mere bandage over the problem. The real problem is you and I. Yes! Us!
For instance, many who are pro-guns in the gun control debate assert that the wielder of the weapon is the reason behind its misuse, insinuating that the gun itself is not the main problem. Although that is true, how could you possibly control the one with the weapon? Similarly, you cannot expect the creation to be incorruptible when the creators are not. For example, if you give a man a gun and he gets angered, do not be surprised someone is killed; If you give a lustful person remote access to others’ names, ages, and locations do not be surprised if a sex offender is born or worse; If you give people a platform to judge and seek self-validation with likes, followers and comments why are you wondering why mental illness and social anxiety are at an all-time high. We are the problem. It has always been us. We have an innate nature in us that is the cause of all these persisting difficulties.

So, what do we do now? Are we cursed by this nature within us? We have broken so many intellectual boundaries yet we become more innovative in depravity. We have an embedded system in our human nature that is the root of all our problems. Any current human issue you can think of in this world can most likely be linked to you and me. I am fully aware that I appear very dramatic right now but the big picture is apocalyptic any way you look at it.

Maybe, just maybe, you are reading this and can find no such intrinsic nature in you upon self-reflection. I would suggest a circumstance has never extracted it. Maybe, when you reject 100 trillion pounds to overlook a measly crime, I may believe you.

In conclusion, strict control of technological usage and growth to eradicate the vices of technological growth would be a mere delay of the inevitable at best. We are the users and the abusers simultaneously. Therefore, unless you can pose a solution to cure our inherent depravity, honestly, don’t bother!