In Gelernter's bold prediction of a technological future, he raises an interesting point: "The Orwell law of the future: any new technology that can be tried will be. Like Adam Smith's invisible hand (leading capitalist economies toward ever-increasing wealth), Orwell's Law is an empirical fact of life." He wrote this nearly two decades ago; looking back and comparing the present, it seems that the Orwellian future is almost upon us.
In recent years, China has undergone rapid technological development, introducing and implementing technologies that only two decades ago seemed to exist only within fiction. With the absence of Western ethics and a democratic governing body, there seems to be nothing stopping such development. Facial recognition cameras, government-propagated censorship are just a few of the ways China has used technology in a way that is reminiscent of 1984's Oceania. In Xinjiang, a province home to many of China's ethnic minorities, the nation has installed countless cameras with advanced facial recognition technology, using computer vision and AI to monitor and intimidate the minorities as well as reinforce the country's authoritarian hold on the province. Furthermore, in recent news, a recent article (https://www.businessinsider.com/calls-free-speech-online-doctor-li-wenliang-death-censored-china-2020-2) has shown China's censorship of certain tags such as "I want freedom of speech" following the tragic death of Li Wenliang, a whistleblower doctor who tried to warn the public of the Wuhan coronavirus. Such is the power of the One China, who constantly seeks to strengthen her grip on those she rules.
These mass surveillance technologies were alluded to in Orwell's work and predicted in Gelernter's manifesto. Truly, any new technology that is possible will be tried and possibly implemented. Sure for us Americans, we don't live in China and this may not seem so applicable. But China has shown us what is capable with technology when ethics does not check its growth, and based on current trends, I don't think America is too far off.
This is a deeply frightening post and I generally agree. New technology will be used once it is possible but not always. Although many authoritarian governments like China and the United States do abuse technology to watch and police it's people, not every technology is being used due to ethical or humanitarian reasons. Nuclear technology has been around for roughly half a century and it has been limited in use. We have been able to mainly use this as a clean energy source and only twice used it as a weapon. Although this does mean it was tried, it hasn't been "used" because we now know how incredibly destructive it is. We as a world have decided that we will not use nuclear arms and everyone that has the capabilities has agreed. Although I will say that we could very well be on our way to proving this wrong.
ReplyDeleteOn a separate note, I think adding some type of images would help this post out. With only one link and no other media, it looks like a wall of text when you first click on it.
Hi,
ReplyDeleteI think this was a really interesting read as there's always at least two sides to any situation. With China's government control over media and surveillance cameras, one can argue how frightening it is to live there because you'll be watched through cameras 24/7 and censored if you say anything the government doesn't approve of. However, someone else can argue how government control over cameras can make you more responsible for your everyday actions and moreover pave the way to advance technology faster. I personally side with the first argument more, just like you do, but I feel we can get a bit opinionated without living in China ourselves.
One thing you can add is a few visuals or media to engage the readers more – the long blocks of text were a bit overwhelming to read at first. You can also explain the readings in the beginning a bit more or throughout your writing. However, overall I enjoyed reading this and how you provided many current examples of China’s technology development to support the readings.