An axe in the hands of a pathological criminal
Our lifestyles have evolved over the past few decades. From telegraphs to telephones and mobiles, from listening to the announcement of independence of Pakistan in 1947 on radio to witnessing its glorious ceremony today live on big LED screens, from mailing letters across the globe to sending e-mails and text messages within seconds, technological advancements have heavily influenced our way of life. The rapid speed at which information travels nowadays has made the environment around us very fast paced. Back in 1860, the news of Abraham Lincoln’s election took seven days and seventeen hours to reach California from Washington DC, and last year, people all around the world not only got to know the American presidential results immediately but were also being continuously updated regarding the voting results.
Furthermore, technological progression is making us more dependent onto itself day by day. New gadgets that are introduced in the market almost every day are more advanced and easier to use than before. These technologies are also adapted quickly in workplaces and offices. Another advantage of technological progress was invention of numerous medicines. But a coin always has two sides, and people often turn a blind eye to the other side of the coin. As everyone takes advantages of technological changes, we should not forget that criminals, at the same time, can use the same measures against us. Despite the medical changes technological advancements have made, it certainlyhas some demerits which include increase in crime rates, creation of new crimes and constant threat of war, all of which facilitate the criminals to achieve their illegal goals.
Perhaps the most worrisome outcome of technological advancement is an alarming rise in crime rates owing to decline in communication lapse and faster transportation, which has, in turn, made locating places easier and connecting explosive devices to mobiles and other gadgets possible. Earlier, criminals had to plan each and every move of their operation beforehand, but today, criminals do not have to assemble at common meeting places anymore. Calling and messaging through numerous applications have made planning, organising and controlling much more painless than before. The command to do or not can easily be conveyed to the perpetrator by the mastermind. Apart from this, better transportation has made travelling and following easier. This has increased the number of street crimes and drug-smuggling instances. Additionally, the tedious task of constructing a map of the scene of attack has now finished because presently, web mapping services not only locate a place, but tell shortcuts towards it as well. Criminals also use gadgets such as mobiles and remote controlling devices to bomb a target without them being present there in person. This is achieved by attaching an explosive somewhere and then connecting it to any gadget. The explosive can be operated from anywhere at any time. Escalation in robbery and bombing has instilledconstant fear within us, which affects our social relations. Hence, technological progress has aided criminals to execute the heinous plans.
Another consequence of technological advancement is the birth of new crimes such as cyber bullying, blackmailing, fraud and hacking. Instances of cyber bullying have increased massively as almost everyone nowadays has access to electronic devices and social media networking websites. This phenomenon is especially common among teenagers since they use these tactics to gain popularity among their peers. They victimise a random person by making personal remarks, teasing them over social media and spreading rumours about them. Cyber bullying has augmented the number of cases of depression, mood swings, suicides and other psychological problems. Another form of cyber bulling is stalking, in which the stalker gathers information about the victimthat can be used against him or her. This has resulted in harassment, especially of women, as stalkers get hold of their personal information and then ask for undue favours so as not to expose it. Apart from this, the victim is under constant fear and pressure of accusation.
Blackmailing is similar. The victim may also be charged of ransom, so their information is not leaked. Internet has made access to sensitive information easier. An expert in this field can hack into any software or computer and steal all the information. The information can then be manipulated or erased, and the repute of the respective company can be at stake. Engineers figured out some ways to prevent this by creating trackers, alarms, firewalls etc. to ward off these dangers. But ironically, hackers have found means to hack into these security systems as well. Hacking is a danger to common man who is afraid of his private information, such as bank account password, getting leaked. On the other hand, complicated government security systems are heavily guarded so that confidential information does not get into wrong hands. Consequently, internet and social media have surely connected everyone around the world, but they have simultaneously threatened the privacy and security of people through electronic media crimes.
Technological advancement has not only caused discomfort among a region or a group of people, but has also triggered tensions between international communities. Prior to the Industrial Revolution in the late eighteenth century, people would fight against each other using swords, cannons, arrows and similar weapons. After development in the field of ammunition, more effective weaponry was manufactured and was soon used in upcoming wars. Later in the Second World War, new and more dangerous weaponry was created, the most notable one being the nuclear bomb. Its disastrous and horrid results were shortly demonstrated when USA bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki with it, the natives of which cities are still facing its terrifying after effects. One example includes the birth of abnormal children in the past as well as today, though in lesser numbers now, due to severe nuclear radiations the denizens encountered at the time of bombing. Countries which currently have the nuclear bomb take the status of being a nuclear power with pride, but most people fail to realise that if a war ensues between these countries, the results will be much more unpleasant than that of the ones which have taken place in the past despite the existence of any treaty on non-proliferation of nuclear technology. Weapons were invented to defend, but they are slowly being put into use so as to offend the opposition. Thus, technological advancement in weaponry has now put international communities under a constant threat of war.
The opponents of this notion bring into spotlight all the products and services that technological advancements have been providing the humanity. These include medicines, vaccines, genetically engineered crops with increased yield, seed oil content, etc, genetically modified bacteria to produce enzymes and proteins such as cellulases for industries and insulin for diabetics, and artificial and cloned organs to eliminate problems like organ rejection and seeking consensual donors. However, what they fail to realise and acknowledge are the consequences that the entire mankind is or might have to face in forthcoming years.
No one can deny the role of vaccines and medicines whose formulation has helped in eradicating diseases like small pox and plague, but the same technology in principle has increased the risk of generating many new.
Crop yield and quantity has definitely been elevated with efforts made to improve on quantity as well but has resulted in problems like obesity due to excess of one or more nutrients and frequent use of steroids in order to shorten the duration of growth cycle.
Bacteria, with altered genotypes and mostly made antibiotic-resistant for the ease of identification, are primary agents in manufacturing proteins, like insulin, and enzymes of domestic and industrial importance, such as those use on pregnancy test kits and the ones used in making denims. But these agents, if not handled and disposed of with caution, can get released in environment and, subsequently, cause several bacterial diseases, the treatment of which by using antibiotics would be impossible.
Cloning animals, for now, seems to be devoid of risk, but a little mischief in minds of scientists and a minor change in procedural strategy can bring into life our biggest fears in the form of human clones. These duplicates, triplicates, or several replicates would not only challenge the modus operandi by posing serious threats to privacy and systems of identification from simple fingerprinting to DNA fingerprinting, but may also lead to biological warfare. Therefore, the several benefits of genetic engineering and biotechnology being utilised today are definitely significant but prospective terror scourged by numerous hazardous by-products of the process cannot be ignored.
Technological advancement has undoubtedly changed our way of living. It has surely improved our lives by making it more comfortable and appealing. Most of us cannot even think of living in the conditions our forefathers used to live in, especially the present generation, who shudders at the thought of a day without the internet. Technological progress has not only reformed the aspect of communication, but it has contributed a lot towards medicine, security, research, sanitation, land development, etc. As this fact cannot be disregarded, another fact related to this should also not be shunned that technological progress has affected our lives in a negative way. It has mentally exhausted us because now we have to catch up with everything going around us faster. Moreover, pathological criminals use this technology and therefore pose a constant threat to individuals as well as society as a whole. To progress, one should learn to stay within the limits of morality.
