By: Jack Weiman
I participated in course modules for “Foundations of Humane Technology” this week. This course opened my eyes to a lot of things and changed my view on the society that we live in today. In this article, I am going to be summarizing and giving a walkthrough through the modules included.
In Module 1, we learn about how technology advancing is both a good and bad thing at the same time. While it is advancing very quickly, it may not always be for our benefit. In the beginning of the module we learn about how AI is advancing and creating pictures from nothing, and how 3D creation tools like Unreal Engine have the ability to create human models that look almost identical. This module talks about how pretty soon, if not already, people will have the ability to create digital models of celebrities or politicians and spread false news around the world. In simpler terms, while technology is advancing, it is becoming more accessible to us and easier to use, however it is also becoming more dangerous at the same time. We have been using technology for a while now, but as of not too long ago, persuasive technologies have become a very big problem in today’s society, especially for the younger generations. Persuasive technologies, in my opinion, are honestly one of the main problems in today’s day and age. Things like influencer culture, fake news, deepfakes, addictive use, and information overload can all contribute to cause many problems. Some of these problems include mental health issues, social isolation, and shortened attention spans, predominantly in in teens and young adults. The main point of this module, at least what I understood it to be, was that we had the opportunity for technology to be almost the opposite of what it is now. We, as a species, had the opportunity for technology to respect human vulnerabilities, treat our intentions as sacred, helped us make smart decisions, and basically be what we need to survive as a population. Instead, it does almost the exact opposite and it seems is doing us more bad than good, and I think that we are only recently starting to realize it.
Module 2 focuses a lot on discussing how human weakness is often manipulated through technology. It is common for companies to defend themselves by stating that they are only giving the consumers what they want, when in reality, it is all a lie. These companies don’t necessarily give us what we want, rather they give us what grabs our attention. They have known for a long time now how to exploit human weakness, but a lot of people aren’t aware of what they are doing. Humans are a naturally curious species, and what we are drawn to doesn’t always necessarily mean the same thing as what we want. Our focus shifts to things that are dangerous or bad, so we know to stay away from them, but we are usually also interested at the same time. These companies aren’t showing us the things we want to see, rather the things that we can’t restrain ourselves from viewing. We are a compulsive species and more often than not our compulsions overpower what are true intentions really are.
In Module 4, I was prompted to participate in an activity called “Sitting in the Sun at 70”. In this activity it basically asks for you to reflect on your life when you’re 70 and what you want it to look like. Obviously I don’t know exactly how it will play out, but I at least know what I would like to have accomplished by then. I think that my goal is a common goal that should be shared by everyone. I want to look back and be confident and proud that I had an impactful life, in a positive way. I want to positively impact as many people as I can. I don’t know how I am going to do that yet, but I know that I am going to. I want to do the opposite of what these companies are doing. While they exploit human weakness all for personal gain, I want to help build up human weakness and make it stronger and easier to resist the false attractions that these companies offer.
In Module 5, we learn that shared understanding is essential if we ever hope to overcome any of our great problems in the world. This includes climate change, economic debt, etc. This module also talks about how social media doesn’t really show the true versions of ourselves. Rather than depicting social media as a mirror, the module depicts it as a funhouse mirror that in reality distorts our true personalities, physical features, and how our society is viewed. Another thing that this module discusses is how there is less moral outrage than it seems. On social media it is easy to pretend like you care about something, and that’s what a lot of people are doing, generally for improving their social status. In reality, a lot of people who say they care really don’t do much, if anything to help fix some of humanities greatest problems.
Overall, I think that these modules were very interesting and important. They helped me view society a lot differently than I once had and showed me some of the things we need to do as a species to fix these problems and I am grateful for that.
Citations:
Center for Humane Technology. (2022). Foundations of Humane Technology . Participate. Retrieved October 6, 2022,
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