OPINION: Have technology benefits backfired?

Julia Elbert

     Bing, bing, bing goes the sound of a helpful little tool we are all too familiar with when we lose our phones, keys, computers, in our house, coffee shop, classroom, etc. Now, that tool has been given an upgrade. Apple recently introduced the “Apple AirTag,” a device that can stick to any of your products in case you lose track of them.  

     The GPS in the device can track and follow anything you put it on in real-time. Sounds like a similar product that has been around, right? The “Tile” has been a helpful tool for many; however, to attach it to something, you must clip it or hang it on the product.  

     The Apple AirTag simply sticks to anything in a quick and efficient way. Seem innocent? Wrong. Sex traffickers and other predators have been sticking these on cars and tracking the drivers back to homes or other destinations.  

     Technology has its benefits but too much of anything can be dangerous, and I think that we are getting to that point. We have not only become completely reliant on the devices that are around us, but we have become complacent with them as well. We forget that everything we do online or around devices can be used to track and keep tabs on us.  

     What started out as something that was supposed to expand our knowledge of the world and communicate across oceans has allowed society to become glassy-eyed and numb to the people sitting at the top, moving the controller of our lives.  

     Technology has not backfired for the people who created it; they are thriving. The common people — the rich, the poor — we have all become zombies to the effects of technology. We have been convinced that we need up-and-coming phones, tablets, tracking devices, anything that can help us keep up with constant IOS updates.  

     The metaverse has created a world only the rich can afford, where they can hide and watch all of society down below them stumble through poverty or live paycheck to paycheck. But don’t worry, we have all been tricked into buying a new iPhone and the $30 device that you can track it with, so we must be thriving too.  

     A society that is driven by technology can also be taken down by it. The fear of being tracked by the company, by local predators, has all of us subconsciously looking over our shoulders.  

     So, has technology backfired on us? Or have we simply taken a bite out of the Apple and can’t seem to get enough?