Yet Again, A Debate On Technology As A Double-Edged Sword

By now all of us have seen (albeit not completely able to believe yet) the terrifying scenes from one of the most developed regions in the world. It is no longer the slums of India or the by lanes of Karachi that are the scene of riots and looting. It is the capital of one of the most powerful nations in the world- London.

The debate on what triggered this extensive violence will fill our TV screens for some time to come but along with this another debate is running in parallel- the role played by technology- more specifically instant messaging, social networking and phones- in helping rioters systematically coordinate their moves.

While you cannot blame providers of IM services like Blackberry, what does need to be investigated is the growing trend of younger and younger people having access to technology. And I say this with plenty of self-reflection because my sixteen-month old son is practically a Youtube junkie, thanks to me taking the easy way out to entertain him. Granted he watches only baby stuff but still….

Technology implies power and independence. If you have a phone or a laptop of your own, who you talk to and what you say, stays largely private and in the case of children goes mostly unsupervised. But how many of us view a telephone as a source of power? If you really think of it, a phone is in reality as enabling as giving children money, or letting them drive. It lets them take actions that they would otherwise need adult permission for. Like talking late at night, talking to anybody they want, sharing pictures, taking pictures. Compound this with the features in today’s Smartphones and you have a situation that does need a second thought. We may consider phones a pure convenience but the reality of London burning shows otherwise.

So while I am not in favour of asking RIM to suspend its IM services, I do intend to think about giving my child access to devices. I am in favour of realizing that technology can be a double-edged sword and as parents we need to be aware of it and be prepared for it.