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OpEdNews Op Eds    H3'ed 3/26/11

5 Reasons Why Technology Can Never Be Neutral

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It's repeated so often that few of us even stop to question its validity: "Technology is neutral. It's only as good or as bad as those using it."

 

Here are 5 reasons why this is far from true:

 

1. Technology Devours Nature

 

Thanks to the automobile culture, for example, in the 20th century, an area equal to all the arable land in Ohio, Indiana, and Pennsylvania was paved in the US This means highways, off-ramps, parking lots, etc.--each replacing countless eco-systems.

 

2. Technology Leaves Behind Lots of Toxic Waste

 

Three million tons of household electronics tossed by Americans in 2006. There are 300 million obsolete computers in the US today and only 50% of a computer is recycled. The non-recyclable components of a single computer may contain almost 2 kilograms of lead. Seventy percent of the entire toxic waste stream of landfills is e-waste.

 

3. Technology Spawns Alienation

 

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