Technology has played a vital role in the development of civilization. It has allowed humans to travel and to interact with their environment. Throughout history, technology has also increased the human population.
The most recent technological developments have ushered in a knowledge economy. These technologies are largely responsible for urbanization. They have led to a surge in investment in clean energy. However, they have also caused pollution and other negative side effects.
Today, most people use some type of technology on a daily basis. These technologies have also changed the way we communicate. Wireless and Internet technologies have helped us receive news more efficiently. And they have also reduced the physical barriers to communication.
However, these changes have also brought new challenges for regulators. For example, the growth of the gig economy has added more complexity to the regulatory landscape.
Among the most difficult questions to address are whether or not to impose formal rules on technological innovations. New technologies have profound societal ramifications. As a result, setting clear standards is an important task.
Several international organizations participate in the process of developing norms for new technologies. Some of these organizations are multilateral and others are nongovernmental.
Technologists, however, often argue that governments should take the lead on these issues. Although the largest tech companies have much greater reach than many countries, they are not always able to provide oversight.
Other critics of the pervasiveness of technology in modern life are anarcho-primitivism and Neo-Luddism. In Nineteen Eighty-Four and Brave New World, these authors expressed concern about the negative impact of new technologies on the human condition.