Throughout the course of human existence, innovation has been the major key for societies to evolve from a set point in time. Regardless of the specific application of a novel idea, when one discovers a capability provided by the practical application of knowledge, it is deemed technology. Undoubtedly, the human race would be nowhere close to the point that we have reached in the modern world without technology. For example, if cavemen had not created fire, there would have been no blacksmiths to create tools, and we would not have developed the tools necessary to build the massive infrastructure seen today. However, although technology and innovation have been at the forefront of human evolution, they have simultaneously been the source of constant controversy. This controversy is best characterized by freelance journalist Clive Thompson’s depiction of the divide when he said, “With every innovation, cultural prophets bickered over whether we were facing a technological apocalypse or a utopia.” (348). Though we are far removed from the first creation of the cooking fire, today, the battle regarding the positive and negative implications of technological innovation continue.
Central to the current technology advancement theme is the Internet.
Controversy over the Internet has been an ongoing issue covering many facets of everyday life. Everything from invasion of privacy to Facebooking while driving are hotbeds of debate. On a more global level, however, the issue of globalization arguably causes even more polarity. Utopians argue that globalization has increased access to humanitarian aid to Third World countries, increased worldwide safety, and bolstered the international economy. Though the utopians have many convincing arguments, I believe that the expansion of the Internet, followed by the rise of global interdependence, is secondary to Western-led neoliberal capitalism, which ultimately leads to a vast issue of global in...