What Technology Wants

The author of What Technology Wants comes across as a techno-phobic technophile. While he loves technology, he also sees issues with the uncontrolled adoption of new technology. 

He cites the example of the Amish with their measured approach. They don't shun all technology. In fact, they are willing to allow people to adopt new technologies. However, the adoption comes with the stipulation that the elders may decide that the technology is not appropriate and the right to use it may be rescinded. Those living in the Amish community have agreed to these stipulations. (Amish youth are given a chance to live in the outside world and then chose if they would like to commit to the Amish way of life or live outside it.) They pick and chose the technologies that they want. There is also some degree of autonomy in each community. They may chose to allow machines, websites and smart phones, but not the electric grid. They choose ways to allow the technology to help them without hurting the community.

As the title would imply, the book spends time discussing technology as a "living being". Just as trees have a mechanism for seeking water, technology has developed mechanisms for seeking its own growth and propagation. It is important for us to understand what it is doing. We have some ability to control it. However, there is a lot that will just happen. Our lives will be changed significantly as technology advances. Some of the change will be good, some will be bad. Much of it is interconnected. What technology wants is both scary and exciting.