Imagine the day when technology and computers will cause mayhem within civilised society. Are you thinking of the traditional science-fiction era, where robot armies are wiping out humans? Are you thinking about the present day, where paedophiles and spammers roam the internets? I believe the long-term impacts of technology will come when my generation (and certainly the next) reaches adulthood.

The Information Age is about to begin. It is the world's most important and accessible resource. In years gone by, knowledge was power. Loose lips sank ships and walls had ears. We no longer fear that Big Brother is watching us, because we can watch Big Brother 24 hours a day.

Perhaps this is a conditioning experiment; Governments are trying to prepare the public so that citizens will be too busy policing each other. Why would the state need warrant less wiretapping and invasive surveillance when a functionary can just surf YouTube? Two teenagers were arrested on charges of culpable negligence, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and child abuse after a video posted showed the boys bouncing and dancing on top of a moving car. That's e-justice.

Returning to my prediction of the computer backlash now, my generation is the first to grow up with the internet, according to Facebook alone; there are currently more than 40 million active users. The US Web stats company states that since January 2004, the number of people visiting or taking part in one of the top online social networks has grown by over 109%. My point is that the Internet, social networking, blogs, and forums have become part of our consciousness, with only a small proportion of under 25s unable to use the internet.

This may reflect a wave in British politics; David Cameron, the Leader of the Opposition, received a very damaging piece of information in the press. He had taken drugs 20 years ago in college. Perhaps no great matter to the public in the long-term, but it was given significant publicity.

What will happen if this is applied to the recorded generation? Hypothetically, an exceedingly good career and reputation can be promptly destroyed should a certain rival manage to find an old blog, Livejournal or MySpace page. Surely a nominee for a papacy would be taken out of the running if a rival vicar/priest (I can't remember which is which) had their Flickr account, from 40 years previously, placed into mass circulation, in which there contained a picture that would be deemed indecent. Likewise, it would be a crying shame if an upstanding prime ministerial candidate may be forced to step down due to comments they had made on their blog during their teenage years

I adore the internet. I use it for any number of purposes. However, the American satirist Stephen Colbert occasionally refers to television, film, books, and music as the four horsemen of the "Apopcalypse". I would suggest that it is more likely that YouTube, Facebook, Wikipedia and Bittorrent will be the architects of our cultural demise.

Learn more about this author, Hadleigh Roberts.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

---

Add your voice

Know something about Predicting future impacts of technology?
We want to hear your view. Write now!