TechTheDay

Modern technology, for the most part, is unlikely associated with anything scary. Most would probably think of modern technology as shiny electronics in compact forms capable of various things that provide myriad advantages. However, there are indeed technologies that can be considered scary, creepy, or frightening. The following are a few of them:

Spying Technology

Spying tech comes in a variety of forms and they are comparable to those creepy eyes in haunted houses covertly gazing at you. They make you feel uncomfortable and paranoid at times. They give you the scare with the idea that your embarrassing or incriminating habits or activities could be shared with the people you don’t want to share them with. There are small cameras that can be discreetly installed everywhere, drones that are not even regulated in many jurisdictions, and special devices like the Stingray used by the government. Many spy gadgets are easily accessible to ordinary people including remote monitoring gadgets and applications, discreet spy camps, keyloggers, and document scanners.

Suggested Movie: Big Brother Illuminati: The Global Domination

Synthetic Meat

Also referred to as in vitro meat, edible animal flesh can now be produced without having to kill animals. Even better, there’s no more need to allocate lands to farm them and to undergo the heartbreaking process of slaughtering them. Yes, humans can already satisfy carnivorous appetites through artificial meat, by growing meat in the laboratory. But you might be wondering— what makes synthetic meat technology scary? Well, it’s in the simple idea that if people get accustomed to laboratory-grown animal meat, what would stop some ridiculously overeager gourmands from trying the taste of synthesized human meat, laboratory farming this meat, and eventually promoting such meat as a culinary niche?

Suggested Movie: Hannibal Becomes a Genetic Engineer

Unidirectional Sound Technology that Exploits Your Shopping Impulsiveness

A company called Holosonics has developed a technology called Audio Spotlight that employs small speakers to focus advertising sounds to unsuspecting shoppers, who feel weird hearing things others don’t get to hear. When used at the perfect timing, the technology can effectively stimulate impulsive buying or at the least convey audio ads without giving people the chance to opt out or complain about being subjected to the unconventional ads.

Suggested Movie: Subliminal Ads: Awakening the Dreadful Wallet-Draining Inner Ghost

Google Glass and Other Similar Wearables

Of course this does not need an exhaustive explanation. Who likes getting recorded (in audio and video) involuntarily at the whim of someone who dons a Google Glass or other similar wearable devices? Privacy violations are a major horror for most people, and wearables with cameras and microphones are bound to make these violations way easier to commit.

Suggested Movie: I Know What You Did and What You’re Doing This Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring

Geoengineering

In a previous post, we wrote something about geoengineering in a somewhat positive light. It’s important to emphasize risks, though. While geoengineering could be a solution to global warming, the risks have not been thoroughly studied yet. There have been no large-scale implementations of geoengineering that can serve as sources of conclusive information about the advantages and risks of this technology. Examples of geoengineering are the massive application of iron into the ocean to stimulate the growth of algae, the spraying of seawater onto low-lying clouds to make them more reflective, and the planting of artificial trees designed to enable chemical reactions that reduce greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

Scientists and ordinary people who advocate geoengineering are aware of the risks involved. For instance, uncontrollable algal blooms can lead to expansive dead zones in the ocean. The use of chemicals and introduction massive alterations to natural processes can also pave the way for the destruction of natural habitats. Chemically-induced genetic mutations  are also a possibility.

Suggested Movie: Man-Made Apocalypse

Internet

The Internet is indeed a very useful invention. It has revolutionized modern life in more ways than any other invention. It made communication, business transactions, collaborations, project and resource management, record keeping and sharing, entertainment, gaming, payments, and various other activities way easier, faster, and more efficient. However, it’s not without the banes. The Internet is also a scary invention as it poses an extensive array of risks or threats. It serves as the channel through which viruses and malware are transferred. It can facilitate undesirable and even nefarious activities including scams, spams, privacy violations, and theft. The Internet is a two-faced entity that can bring beneficial or outcomes depending on how you use it. Many use it to commit crimes. There are many possible dreadful elements lurking on the Internet. Even the government is possibly your enemy on the Internet.

Suggested Movie: Trolls of the Digital and New Media Age

Technology is very useful to mankind but it can’t be expected to be all about the benefits and advantages. Scary technologies can emerge when man uses technology for the wrong reasons, in the wrong ways.