John Kenneth Galbraith defined technology in The New Industrial State (1967) as “the systematic application of scientific or other knowledge to practical tasks.” He’s referring to any form of technology, from a hammer to a car to the software your computer uses. Nowadays, we use the word “technology” to describe everything related to the digital landscape. This knowledge has become more complex, unlike a hammer for example, which everybody can build or repair. A better, more contemporary definition therefore might be: “technology applies advanced knowledge to develop systems that support people in achieving a desired goal”.
However, the modern problem lies in the ‘advanced knowledge’ premise of technology. Technology is no longer as easy to understand as a tool, like the function of a hammer. Modern technology functions as a “black box,” a complex system where ordinary people provide input and receive output, unaware of the underlying process. People for example type a question in Google and immediately receive answers, without understanding how Google provided the answers in the back-end process. This makes it a convenient and accessible tool for ordinary people. But it also means that only a handful of people still understand the process by which the technology works. As a solution, we could make these “black box” processes more transparent and clearer, so more people can understand which processes are used and how to fix them when malfunctions occur.
However, the danger lies in that these processes also become clearer to people with bad intentions. To the extent that technology, according to our definition, is a system for achieving our desired goals, someone with bad intentions (such as a hacker) can manipulate these processes and create disastrous consequences. Therefore, making the “black box” processes clearer makes it more understandable for normal people, but unfortunately also for hackers. But even if the black box remains accessible only to people with advanced knowledge, some of those people will still have bad intentions. Should we therefore teach everyone the “black box” processes to prevent undesirable consequences?
No, the solution is much simpler. There should be a massive investment in cybersecurity so that these processes not only remain accessible but, above all, run securely. That way, ordinary people don’t have to worry about what’s happening in the black box and can use reliable technology without any problems.