HCI After Technosolutionism
Technosolutionism is a word I’ve never heard before but it really fascinates me. The belief that technology can solve all future problems is something I myself am often thinking about. Every time I hear of poverty or global warming I think that these are problems that I don’t need to think about right now but will be solved in the future. I do this partially out of hope for a better future but also because I want it to be true. In some cases would argue that technology is indeed the answer to a lot of our problems but these solutions are double-edged swords in most cases. Rarely is there a technology that we can use without drawbacks or potential for misuse. Gunpowder is a famous example where it was invented to improve the working conditions of miners but also led to the brutal escalation of worldwide wars. This is why it is a dangerous mindset to put all our faith in technology because while it can certainly improve our lives the main problem that i see with this is the shifting of responsibility. By only looking at it from one view we forget the personal role that we play in its daily usage. It vastly oversimplifies the social, cultural, economic, and political factors that go along with the invention.
I am also surprised to read how big and important the “maker” scene is in Countries like China or Taiwan. When I first thought about it was thinking more in the realms of a hobbyist who builds fun gadgets that he assembles in his garage in a DIY approach. The way it was described in the text seems like a very exciting way of working to me. Collaborating with others and freely exchanging ideas is something I very much support as it encourages free thinking and innovation. But I am sceptical about funding it to a degree where it becomes a major source of capital for a city. I am not criticising that they wanna grow their business and idea but I think at that point you lost the spirit of what makes the “making” scene. Shifting from simply making to selling and developing a product seems like an entirely different thing to me. Different factors like space, ecology and the economy become much more important while the free-thinking aspect takes a backseat. Still, I am hopeful that this practice continues to develop so that people with an idea get the chance to test it without first being exploited by others.