It used to be better: why we don't like innovation

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Once upon a time, people were distrustful even of coffee, let alone nanotechnology and GMOs. But the reasons for this behavior are almost always the same.

Humanity has already got into the habit of slowing down its own progress. From the coffee maker and the refrigerator to genetically modified foods, history is filled with examples of how humans rejected any innovation before letting it into their daily lives.

Why go far? The safety of self-driving cars is so hotly discussed and how many jobs the robots will take away so meticulously that it becomes scary. What if it really can stop progress?

Harvard professor Calestous Juma is confident that he was able to solve this riddle of human behavior: why we think that it was better before, and about anything we can say "not the same." He suggests that we are not afraid of innovation at all. The problem is different. It seems to a person that the new technology will take away a piece of his individuality and change his way of life, and in some ways he is right.

So why was it better before?

1. People resist innovation, even if it is intended to serve their interests

One of the most telling examples of innovation rejection is the GM food controversy. They are being conducted all over the world and have not ceased to this day. Both opponents and supporters of GMOs are similar in their stubbornness. And they have a common goal.

After all, those who support the creation and use of genetically modified plants argue that this will help reduce the use of pesticides. And this is precisely what environmentalists, who are most often opposed to GMOs, are trying to achieve. It seems incredible: people on opposite sides of the barricades are essentially fighting for the same thing.

The question is only in context. New technologies can be very beneficial, and even opponents of innovation could benefit.

2. If the innovation differs little from what already exists, they will not want to accept it

In modern cities, coffee shops can be found on every corner, but it did not happen right away. Coffee became popular in the Middle East with imams who needed to stay awake in order to pray at the right time. Coffee simply worked better than any other stimulant available.

But this drink took centuries to become popular in Europe. In Germany, France and England, people are used to drinking beer, wine and tea. The proponents of these drinks were the strongest opposed to the advent of coffee. It seemed to them that this new drink was absolutely useless: what could be so unusual in it?

Kalestos Yuma believes that if a new technology is significantly superior to the previous one in terms of capabilities, the chances that it will be accepted and wanted to be used are greatly increased.

3. Dislike of innovation depends on three main factors, in particular - on the average consumer

There are three key categories of opponents to innovation:

• those who have commercial interests in already implemented technologies;
• those who identify with existing technology;
• those who will lose power due to change.

Of course, the reasons for the dissatisfaction of the first group of people are quite obvious. Many industries were stopped in development and even destroyed due to innovation. A good example is the attempts of music labels to stop the spread of music on the Internet.

Some people may also resist the development of new technologies because the existing product is related to their culture, identity, or habits. For this simple reason, the British actively discouraged the widespread distribution of coffee in the country. They stubbornly preferred a leisurely tea to a trip to a coffee shop.

And of course, the development of new technologies is the path to economic growth and the redistribution of forces and resources, which means that someone will become richer and more influential, and someone will lose their high status.

4. People evaluate innovation with intuition, not logic

Opponents and advocates of new technologies are constantly making loud statements describing the impact of innovation on health, science, the environment, psychology and any other area. Just to support your point of view.

Some theses are logically grounded, some were invented on the fly. Once upon a time, people were convinced that coffee either makes you infertile or causes nervous diseases. People generally react to innovations intuitively, and they need proof only in order to confirm their opinion.

A person sees a new product and emotionally reacts to it, because innovation becomes a test for his worldview. And so it happens with any new product.

Kalestos Yuma

5. People more easily accept technologies that help to become freer and more mobile

Mobile phones and digital music have spread rapidly because they have empowered people to become freer. Now you don't have to go home to make a call or turn on the tape recorder for your favorite song. People love to move freely, which is why so many new technologies are associated with transportation.

Our brain examines innovation from all sides, tries it on itself. Then we evaluate the new technology, looking for familiar application scenarios.

Therefore, we really like some innovations, and we can pass by the next nanodevice completely indifferently.

6. People are not afraid of new technologies. They are afraid of the losses they will bring

Someone thinks that people are afraid of new technologies, because we are generally afraid of everything that we do not understand. This is not entirely true. People are not afraid of innovations, but they are seriously worried about what they can lose with their arrival. It can be a sense of self, lifestyle, work, or wealth.

Commercial organizations or the state could involve opponents of innovation in the process of introducing new technologies. This would help many people embrace innovation and understand how it will affect their future life.

7. Those who create innovations do not care what impact they will have on society

Or almost all the same. After all, developers pay much more attention to the functionality of the product they create. But they hardly think about how society will react to the new technology.

All that matters to them is whether their invention works or not.

However, the situation is changing for the better. Many Silicon Valley companies have begun to pay great attention to the security of new technologies.

A good example of this is the development of artificial intelligence. Here the issue is initially considered from all possible positions. Result? Active discussions about the advantages and dangers of developing artificial intelligence, the proposal to introduce a "death button" for AI objects, attempts to represent the coexistence of man and artificial intelligence.

Discussions like these are important: they describe the new technology, explaining and demonstrating it to those who know nothing about AI development.

8. The development of technology cannot be slow and linear. Often the government does not understand this

Don't underestimate the role of government in how we perceive innovation.

As a rule, officials, instead of regulating the introduction of innovations, try to prohibit them or pretend that nothing is happening.

An eloquent example of the lack of a correct response to new technologies is the confrontation between Uber and some states. Apparently, it is still not clear to individual governments that innovation cannot be stopped.