Lies Technology Told Us: The Big Con
As regular readers know, I have written about my fascination with con artists (“Lessons from the Long Con”, April 1, 2022). The reason con artists interest me is that I don’t understand why people fall for it. But I’m from Missouri; I’m a born skeptic so if it sounds too good to be true, I KNOW it is.
But the other side of the question I ponder is this: How could someone DO THAT to someone else? Being a person who tries to do the right thing for the right reason, it is a completely alien idea to purposely hurt someone. There’s a lot that goes into one of these “long cons,” and the short ones take a lot of energy too. In my previous post on the “long con” I shared these observations:
Belief. If people want to believe something, they will. This is the first step to manipulation – find out what people desire and find a way to deliver it to the mark (“the mark” is the person being conned; sometimes, like with investors, there are multiple marks).
Fantasy. Humans love to believe that something improbable -- if not impossible -- can actually happen. From immortal dogs (see the Netflix series “Bad Vegan”) to elevated consciousness, or the more basic option of making money on a huge investment opportunity, convincing people that daydreams can materialize is a powerful lure.
Truth. Every Long Con, like a good lie, has just enough truth to make it plausible. The next step is making it reasonable because humans like to think we are just that (even though most of the time we are not).
Emotion. Creating a bond of emotion whether it’s fear (the con artist might be in MORTAL DANGER! if you don’t help), love (the con artist might insist the mark takes an action “if you really love me”), or friendship (“this person is my friend; they wouldn’t con me”) convinces the smartest of people to act, usually without a lot of thought.
Reputation. At a certain point, the mark might start to realize something is wrong or not making sense. However, after committing to the belief in the con, especially over a long period of time, few people will want to admit they were wrong, thus strengthening the con.
In recent conversations about technology, I realized that all of these observations – and aspects of the successful “long con” – apply directly to technology. That’s right, dear reader: Technology is the most successful con artist in history.
Let’s review some of the lies technology told us:
We want to believe that Technology will give us more time to enjoy life; therefore,
We fantasize that Technology will make us better people; and
We see the kernel of truth that Technology will bring us together. By bringing us together,
We feel the emotional pull that Technology will foster mature, informed discussions by making information readily available to all.
We believe the statements that Technology will protect humanity and make us safer through its use in research, medical discoveries, and taking over tasks we don’t need to spend time on. Even though we know it’s not true, we are afraid to admit it because we might hurt our reputation. Everyone else is saying it so I can’t contradict it.
Technology did not give us more time. It stole our lives. We are “always on call” for work. Even on holidays or vacations, we are constantly checking our work email or “just doing that one more thing.” The imagined future of “The Jetsons” with the 4-hour work week never materialized. And how many times have we been drawn into “time suck” by chasing links on the internet? Or trying to make a useless app work?
Technology did not make us better people. In fact, it made us worse people. Social media channels have brought out the worst in humanity, creating a mob mentality where the loudest, cruelest, most aggressive voices dominate. Bullying is rampant and it helped create “cancel culture.” Our world is living in fear and it is created by the access online interactions give to the worst of the worst.
Technology did not bring us closer together. It forced us farther apart. We now segregate in smaller and smaller niche groups, interacting mostly online, using avatars and fake names in chat rooms that incubate skewed views of the world. This is how QAnon took hold. The world is not one group called humanity – the promise of the Big Con – but instead is a world of “others” and “us v. them.” (See my previous post of May 25, 2023, “Harassment, Brick Walls, and Apathy” ).
Technology has not fostered mature, informed debate. In fact, it has created the opposite: a world of propaganda, misinformation, and a “you are with me or against me” mindset. Long gone are the days of informed debate, where people with different ideas and opinions could discuss them calmly like grownups. Our problems are getting worse because we have adopted an extremist approach to solutions: my way or the highway. Whatever happened to compromise? Or at least agreeing to disagree? (I discuss this in my November 11, 2021, article “The Moon is Purple” ).
Technology does not protect us or make us safer. Artificial intelligence is a major threat to our wellbeing; how many times have you screamed at a computer screen because the chatbot (which is artificial intelligence) is too stupid to answer your question? How is that healthy? Some people argue that it may try to kill us if we aren’t careful. It has no emotions, just algorithms. If we are in the way, it could find a way to get rid of us. The real danger here is human laziness: Just let the artificial intelligence tool do it; we can keep watching cat videos. Artificial intelligence is allowed to run rampant in some cases, without oversight or good programming with solid data. Now, law enforcement is pointing out that cybercriminals use artificial intelligence as a powerful tool to commit bigger, more costly crimes that affect our lives and can even destroy them.
Some of you may think, “when did Cecilia become a Luddite?” Well, I am not at all a Luddite but I am a person who admits when I’ve been conned. I love the potential of technology, and what it could do for us in creating a better world, I see that the promises of technology were all Siren Songs. While all technology isn’t destructive or terrible, our mindset and use of it is less than responsible and bordering on unethical. The human predilection of repeating what others say, even if it isn’t accurate, doesn’t help. “The conventional wisdom” is not wise; it’s usually dogma that isn’t proven. We keep repeating that “technology is wonderful” and “artificial intelligence is a boon for all of us.”
In nonprofit organization speak, that is the same as saying “but that’s the way we’ve always done it.” Which is why I think our slavishness to technology will be our undoing in the end. We aren’t using it as a tool; we are letting the tool use us. While we live in a world of technology, and it could be a wonderful world, technology should not be making the decisions. Humans should. We need to take back the responsibility for managing technology and using it well.
Being conned is not fun. But recognizing you’ve been conned is an opportunity for growth, increased awareness, and the insight to make necessary changes. Digital technology is one of the most powerful tools ever created and we need to tread carefully. In the Marvel Comics universe, they have a saying: With great power comes great responsibility. We need to take a step back and review how we use technology, question if we are abdicating our responsibility to manage it and question our online interactions.
Technology distracts us and clouds our judgment. I encourage you to step away from your devices and just think. It’s the best defense against con artists of all types.
