Why Things Bite Back by Edward Tenner - Essay Example

Task Introduction Why Things Bite Back by Edward Tenner Edward Tenner’s perspective towards the issue of the unintended or unanticipated consequences of technology is that the technologies have a revenge effect in which the mean technologies turn against the people with consequences that surpass the useful benefits that were intended. Tenner thus argues that the perverse technologies result to anticipated technologies due to the unpredictable and unknown occurrences in the world. One example that Tenner mentioned in his book is the case of the power locks (Tenner, 1997). Although the power locks have been created for security reasons, they have turned against the users with consequences that can be considered as revenge effects. The locks that are commonly installed in most standard automobiles are meant to increase the safety and security of the drivers but have turned against the same users on several occasions. The locks have increased the number of drivers locked inside their vehicles and thus exposing them to thugs that they were supposed to guard against. This has cost the economy over $400 million in the last two decades alone. To some extent Tenner’s argument about the perverse nature of technologies can be compared to Collins and Pinch claims that Science and Technology is very powerful and of great benefit but is still a mean helper to man. Causes of the revenge effects Edward Tenner observes that the unintended consequences of technology or the perverse aspect of technology may have resulted from the unknown or unpredictable nature of the world. Certain characteristics of the technological systems make it impossible to understand their functions and thus lead to unpredictability. Some of these characteristics include complexity, dynamics, intrasparence and ignorance (Tenner, 1997). Complexity is associated with the various components that constitute a real system. This also includes the interconnections among the constituents. Failure to understand the functioning of these components in a system and the interrelations between them leads to unpredictability of a system. This limits the users understanding of the entire system which ultimately leads to the system turning against the user. Another characteristic of the systems that limits the understanding of their functioning is dynamics. Technology is ever advancing and changing which implies that systems will at one time change without the control of the users. This makes it difficult to predict the actual functioning of technological devices which leads to revenge effects (Tenner, 1997). Another cause of unpredictable nature of systems is intrasparence. Intransparence refers to the hidden nature of some constituents of a system. The user cannot see some constituents of a system but the constituents still influence the operation of the device. The power lock cited by Tenner has several components which the user cannot see. The driver will probably control the on and off button and will not be able to view the interior components of the lock. This limits the user’s understanding of the lock and incase it malfunctions, then the driver will experience the revenge effects. This issue of in transparence is related to ignorance because it limits the user’s understanding of a system. However, this is not the only source of ignorance in relations to systems. Most of the users are simply reluctant to learn about the functions of a systems and do not care to proceed beyond the on/off button. This makes it difficult to detect faulty or misleading systems until the device turns against the user (Tenner, 1997). Tenner’s proposition I will use the example of Internet which is an emerging technology to support Tenner’s proposition. According to Tenner, the major causes of revenge effects of science and technology. Devices and systems turn against the users mainly due to uncertainty. Decreasing the level of certainty will thus control all the characteristics of systems that lead to revenge effects. Systems will no longer be complex to the user when the users are certain of their functioning and can predict or interpret every detail of a component. The internet is very useful to the world and of great benefit towards the growth of the global economy. Some of the benefits of the Internet that are significant in the modern world include facilitation of business transactions and sharing of information and ideas. Due to the significant benefits associated with the internet, it becomes impossible to anticipate any negative consequences that are associated with it. Some of the negative consequences of the Internet include promotion of pornography and other criminal or unethical activities such as internet frauds (Tenner, 1997). Controlling uncertainty Although technology is taking a revenge turn on users, people should attempt to decrease the uncertainty associated with unanticipated consequences of systems. People should control uncertainty through a number of ways including enhancing their knowledge, merging uncertainties and enhancing the control of situations. People should increase their knowledge by investing in more studies, analysis and experiments. Although this will cost extra funds, the gains from the investments are worth the effort considering that they will significantly reduce the negative consequences of technology. Taking the example of the power lock mentioned by Tenner, investing more in research would assist people to develop stronger power locks that are not prone to malfunctioning. People should increase their knowledge to certain levels such that should the power locks for instance fail to work, a driver can access the interior components of the lock and possibly identify and rectify the problem. People can also reduce uncertainty by combining the uncertainties in order to reduce the risks. Conclusion I thus agree with Tenner that other than the benefits associated with science and technology, users also experience unanticipated consequences from systems. Tenner referred to the negative consequences as revenge effects and associated them with uncertainty (Tenner, 1997). Although certain characteristics of devices such as complexity and dynamics intensify, the unpredictability associated with technological devices, most of the negative consequences of the systems result from uncertainty. People should thus strive to reduce the uncertainty through activities such as further research and studies in order to increase knowledge on the use of devices. People should also be careful in the manner in which they apply the systems associated with technology. The Internet for instance has valuable benefits when used for the right purpose, but when used in the wrong way, then it brings forth negative consequences including frauds to the users. Works Cited Tenner, Edward. Why Things Bite Back: Technology and the Revenge of Unintended Consequences. New York: Vintage Books, 1997. Print. Read More