technologyskeptical

Technologyskeptical is a term used to describe a stance that critically evaluates technology and its effects, emphasizing caution about rapid adoption, unexamined promises, and potential harms to society, culture, privacy, labor, and the environment. It is distinct from outright anti-technology, aiming instead for cautious, evidence-based assessment and governance.

Core principles include critical scrutiny of benefits and risks, prioritization of human well-being, transparency about data and algorithms, accountability for developers and institutions, and consideration of long-term and systemic impacts. Practitioners may employ methods such as impact assessment, scenario planning, stakeholder consultation, and precautionary analysis.

Common domains include artificial intelligence, automation and labor displacement, digital surveillance and privacy, biotechnology, platform governance, and ecological footprints of tech infrastructure. Typical arguments favoring technologyskeptical positions claim that technology often delivers uneven benefits, can entrench inequality, introduces new risks, and relies on questionable narratives about inevitability.

It is frequently contrasted with techno-optimism and responsible tech movements, and faces critique that excessive caution may slow innovation or hinder beneficial breakthroughs. Proponents advocate for governance frameworks that balance innovation with safeguards, inclusivity, and ethical norms, rather than blanket rejection or uncritical adoption.