A Scary Future

           Have you ever thought about our future and how technology might negatively affect or positively affect our future? I think technology might negatively affect our future. We can see lots of people using smartphones these days, even kids. Also, students use computers or tablets to study more. Most people also use ChatGPT to search things online. However, I believe that technology may negatively affect our future because disinformation can spread quickly, lots of people can get addicted to digital mediums, and AI can replace humans’ jobs.

           Firstly, there is a lot of disinformation, and it can spread quickly because of technology’s development. For example, there was fake news during the Paris Olympics. It was about a murder case where three children were killed and ten people were injured by a 17-year-old British boy. However, one account on social media spread disinformation that the criminal was a Muslim asylum seeker. This false information caused violent Anti-Muslim protests in the country. This protest and other misunderstandings happen because disinformation can spread easily and quickly these days. If this technology is uncontrolled, disinformation can spread faster, and there will be lots of disinformation online. No one will be able to trust the information on the internet even if the information is true.

           Second, technology’s development causes digital addiction to games, smartphones, and social media. Social media can cause loneliness. For example, there were the results of a study where people using social media felt lonelier than people not using social media. Another study said this social isolation is associated with physical and mental deterioration and even increases the risk of death. Additionally, games can impact people’s abilities to be self-regulative. For example, a 20-year-old boy who was addicted to games lost his self-regulative behavior. He killed his mom because she scolded him for playing too long. There is a lot of negative news about digital addiction. In another example, a woman in her 20s who was addicted to games ended up killing her young son because he couldn’t control his bowel movements even though he was so young. If this technology is not controlled, there will be lots of criminals in our society.

           Last, AI may replace jobs done by humans. For example, painters and sculptors can be replaced by image-generating AI like ChatGPT. Also, transportation and delivery is being replaced by AI because of self-driving cars that have the advantage of being affordable and sustainable since they can drive themselves. If this technology is uncontrolled, there may be lots of unemployed people and homeless people. Lastly, people whose job is related to AI may become ultra-rich. In extreme situations, AI could rule the world.

           People can use technology in bad ways, and this could lead to a bad future. Technology’s development causes the spread of disinformation, job loss, and addiction to digital media. However, if we can find a way to use the technology in a good way, we can build a better and happier future.