New and emerging technologies promise significant benefits but also introduce complex issues across environmental, economic, social, and worldview dimensions. Designers and entrepreneurs must evaluate these critically.
Resource use:
- Many new technologies rely on rare earth elements (neodymium, cobalt, lithium) whose extraction causes severe environmental damage
- Mining for EV battery materials (lithium, cobalt) depletes aquifers and destroys ecosystems in mining regions
E-waste:
- Smart and connected products contain more electronics → more e-waste when disposed of
- E-waste is the fastest-growing waste stream globally; contains toxic materials (lead, mercury, cadmium)
- Insufficient formal recycling infrastructure in many countries; informal processing causes health hazards
Energy consumption:
- AI systems, data centres, and blockchain require significant energy (Bitcoin mining uses as much electricity as some countries)
- Offset potential: smart technologies can optimise energy use in buildings, transport, and manufacturing
Lifecycle shortening:
- Rapid technology change drives faster product replacement cycles → more waste, more resource extraction
Job displacement:
- Automation and AI are replacing routine cognitive and manual jobs at scale
- New jobs are created, but often require different skills; transition costs fall on displaced workers
- Disproportionate impact on lower-income workers in manufacturing
Concentration of wealth:
- Technology platforms tend toward monopoly (network effects, data advantages)
- Wealth concentrates in technology-owning companies and their investors; benefits spread unevenly
High barrier to entry:
- Technologies requiring significant R&D investment create barriers for small and developing-world businesses
- Emerging markets risk being technological consumers rather than producers
Economic opportunity:
- New industries and export opportunities for countries that lead in key technologies
- R&D investment creates high-value employment
Equity and access:
- New technologies are often unaffordable for low-income users initially
- The ‘digital divide’ means benefits of connected products are not equally distributed
Privacy:
- IoT devices collect continuous data on users’ behaviour, location, and health
- This data can be misused by corporations or governments; users often have limited control
Dependency:
- Products dependent on connectivity or software updates can be rendered non-functional remotely
- Users lose autonomy when software is discontinued (planned obsolescence via software)
Labour conditions:
- Global technology supply chains often rely on labour in countries with lower worker protections
- Conflict mineral sourcing for electronics links consumer products to human rights abuses
Western technological worldview vs Indigenous perspectives:
- Many new technologies embody a worldview of human mastery over nature (extraction, control, acceleration)
- Indigenous worldviews emphasise relationship with Country, intergenerational responsibility, and minimising harm
- The pace and scale of technological change may outstrip communities’ ability to participate in decisions about its impacts
Who decides?
- Technology development is currently concentrated in a small number of countries and corporations
- This limits the diversity of values embedded in new technologies
- Design for whom? Design by whom? These are worldview questions.
AI and values:
- AI systems reflect the values and biases of their training data and designers
- Algorithmic decision-making can embed and amplify systemic discrimination
KEY TAKEAWAY: New technologies are not value-neutral. They carry embedded assumptions about progress, efficiency, and human-nature relationships that must be examined critically.
EXAM TIP: Address all four dimensions (environmental, economic, social, worldview) with specific examples for each. Avoid generic statements — name the technology and the specific issue.
