Technology can do some pretty amazing things these days—from 3D printing new organs to creating synthetic food—but there are many new tech trends that simply aren’t worth the hype. With innovators coming up with new technology left, right and center, it can be hard to know where to direct your attention. What products, apps and software are worth paying attention to, and what’s just noise? It’s important to look past the hype and ask yourself who these trends are serving and what potential risks may be involved with their widespread use. There are many reasons why you may want to steer clear of the latest trends.
They Only Serve Part of the Population
There’s a reason why the general public has fallen out of love with Silicon Valley. With over 90% of the decision-makers in the venture capital industry being white men, it’s clear that diversity is not a strong point of American tech. And when it’s only men sitting around the table innovating new technologies, chances are that the products they create will primarily serve their own demographic. Silicon Valley may have once been heralded as the creator of the world’s most innovative solutions to everyday problems, but it’s important to take a critical eye and see whose problems are being solved by the latest gizmos and gadgets.
For example, while there have been some major steps forward in virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), it’s not clear that these technologies have everyone’s best interests at heart. Already, gender disparity in these fields is evident: 20% of men say they’ve used VR, compared to 13% of women. Recent scandals—such as VR games allowing male avatars to sexually assault female ones—prove that the virtual realities this technology is offering us may simply replicate everyday sexism and power dynamics.
Gender violence sucks. Let’s demand more from our tech before jumping on the latest fads.
They Can Distract Us More Than Benefit Us
It seems that everywhere you look today, you’re staring at a screen. Sure, Netflix is a good way to kill a few hours, but our addiction to screen-time goes well beyond the occasional ‘Netflix and Chill’ session. Recent studies have shown that Americans devote 10+ hours to screens a day. And with new devices giving us more and more ways to ignore the world around us, this trend shows no signs of slowing down.
Not only can new tech be distracting, it can actually be quite dangerous. Just take smartwatches, which keep runners staring down at their stats rather than on their surroundings. Worse yet, automakers have been cramming new cars with “infotainment” technology that distracts drivers from the road—so much so that AAA released a study about the deadly consequences of watching screens behind the wheel.
Tragedy sucks—don’t let the latest distracting tech trends put you and your loved ones at risk.
They Can Make Us Dumber and Lazier
Tech is supposed to augment and simplify our lives—but it seems the latest “smart” tech has the adverse effect of making us, well, dumber. While there are certain tasks that can be streamlined by smart tech, not everything needs to be smart-ified by Silicon Valley. Everything from salt dispensers to egg trays can now have app-enabled smart-technology. Do you really need an app to tell you how much salt to put on your dinner, or how many eggs are left in your fridge? What about a fork that tells you when you’re eating too much or too fast, or garbage cans that create your shopping lists for you? Chances are, these devices aren’t really making your quality of life much better, and they’re robbing you of the chance to make your own decisions.
The latest tech may sound cool at first, but having a device and corresponding app for every menial task can get tiring and overwhelming. While there will always be a new “app for that”, managing your entire life through a phone just plain sucks.
Smart tech sucks when it makes us dumber in the long run. Be cautious and selective about when and how you let “smart” technology into your life.
The Takeaway
From virtual reality games to bluetooth-enabled forks, it seems the future is now. But that doesn’t mean we all need to hop on the latest trends as soon as a new product hits the market. Be sure to be discerning about which tech trends to follow—after all, technology can solve some of our generation’s biggest problems, but it can also contribute to them.
If you think the latest trend sucks, consider buying a custom .SUCKS domain to make your voice heard.
Photo Credits: Shutterstock / YAKOBCHUK VIACHESLAV, Shutterstock / betto rodrigues, Shutterstock / Stokkete
