I believe in progress because it is inevitable. However, with new technologies like Artificial Intelligence, it begins to feel like everything we do is somehow connected to people who hold all the data about us.
At the moment, I run a lot of things on autopilot because I can. But that means computers are at work, doing a lot for me, and it works amazingly well. I'm not sure I'm entirely comfortable with the direction things are going in the realm of technology and our personal information and lives.
The problem isn't only that we use these technologies for our own stuff, but basically every business uses them for theirs. In many cases, no matter what you do to protect your data, businesses are using your data anyway. Everything from the government to the corner gas station, our data is out there floating around in cyberspace. Like it or not, we can no longer escape it. You aren't alone.
At this point in my life, I am looking for ways to simplify and scale down. But, you can't escape the necessity to keep up with the technology as it becomes apparent. I've worked long and hard on my websites, but right now, I wonder if it makes any sense anymore. You can't even find a typewriter anymore, and the only offline way to do it is with OpenOffice. Everything else is cloud-based. I enjoy writing this article, but do I really need to do it online? I mean, if nobody reads it or if I can't earn income on them, what good does it do? I can still write, but leave it in my hands, not online.
The breakneck speed at which things operate today is also attached to systems that only the builder of that system fully understands. While the things possible are staggering, it also means that the consequences are staggering. We've gotten ourselves into a complicated hot mess that I don't think we will ever recover from. You can be against it all you want...but it is here. One thing is for sure: We have crossed over into a new world.
Possibly the most disturbing part of it is that those who control all of these systems control the data, and that controls you. The good old days of the 'simple' life are long gone forever. We live in an age of data dominance.
No doubt that there is a lot of good that could come out of this, but our inability to withdraw from it is complete. You either adapt or die.