My whole life has revolved around technology in some way. My parents first exchanged email pen pal letters sent across the Atlantic Ocean.

My house is semi-automatic. It’s set up with Homekit, so that the lights, thermostat, even the garage door can be controlled by a click of a button on my phone.

My passions are all electronic. I write stories on Google Docs, doodle characters in Procreate, and grumble at my TV when I die in my new favorite JRPG of the week. I scream about my favorite characters from shows and games I love with a bunch of different people on the internet.

So, don’t get me wrong, I’m really grateful for technology for coming this far. I really don’t think I would be the person I am today without it.

But, technology is terrifying. 

Well, no. Humanity is terrifying.

Nothing on the internet is secure. Anything you post, save, create is in multiple servers across the world, and these servers are never 100% safe. Backdoors can be hidden, allowing hackers, data scrapers, and other just shady people who could make profit or worse off of your personal information: be it your date of birth, last thing you ate, or your social security number and mother’s maiden name.

Our own school email got hacked a few years back, and while that was a funny little scenario for us unbothered high schoolers, it’s just a taste of what could happen. Imagine if it was your personal email, with information about your medical records and various financial updates.

That’s not even mentioning the threat AI has against us. AI is actively targeting the best of human creativity. Why have actual artists, when AI can generate art that is probably good enough? Why have writers when AI can write full stories and essays for you? Nevermind the flaws today, the rate of advancement is such that these imperfections will likely be eradicated in just a few years.

Technology is humanity’s greatest achievement. I will never trust it.