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Does Capitalist Society Create Technology to Decrease Our Thinking Capacity and Control Our Minds? Is This a New Way to Exploit Us?

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In today’s world technology is everywhere. In this article I have argued that the capitalist society might be using technology to control the minds of the individuals by reducing their capacity for independent thought, through AI, social media, and consumer convenience products.

Capitalist societies have always been dependent on technological advancements for economic growth. In Britain, the early 1800s brought mass production of goods due to machines like the steam engine coming with industrialization. That all changed in 1876 when Alexander Graham Bell patented the first telephone, putting us instantly into contact with everyone on Earth. In 1969, the internet was created and we could communicate instantly around the world, it has changed our lives like no other invention. With the advent of smartphones in 1995, our capacity to connect with each other greatly increased as a result literally we are able to carry around what was essentially a computer. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic brought about a digital transformation and capability for individuals to work online. In the recent past, metaverse for social interaction gained much attention. Over these timespans, technological progress drives productivity growth and the emergence of new industries leading to economic expansion. The other side of the coin is technology which with each step is that it brings social and economic changes.

Technology and capitalism are closely linked influencing each other other. In capitalist societies, businesses have the incentive of profit to develop cheaper and more efficient forms of technology leading to an economic expansion which results in various jobs losses as machines take over a number of the roles once done with conscripts.

Consumerism is also driven by technology. Digital advertising helps companies to control what people want and makes it easy for them buy stuff online, so the market becomes highly competitive. For instance, companies gather a lot of data that customers produce so as to create products. Globalization has increased due to technological advances resulting in the opening up of new markets and opportunities as well as led to increased competition. Technology has created new job opportunities in tech-related fields and has made traditional skills less valuable, leading to job losses. For instance, the jobs offered by platforms such as Uber and Airbnb lack job security.

Technological Impact on Thinking Capacity

The impact of technology on our abilities is significant. AI plays a role in shaping our decision making processes. It offers suggestions and recommendations that can sometimes hinder our thinking skills and independence in decision making. Social media platforms also influence our thoughts by presenting content based on our interactions and preferences. While consumer technology aims to simplify tasks for us it also has the downside of limiting our capacity to attain knowledge independently. Moreover the reliance on technologies may restrict our ability to think critically and solve problems effectively as we become accustomed to quick fixes. The concept of surveillance capitalism emerges when companies gather data about individuals to influence their behaviours. This data is then used to make advertisements and content that affect our purchasing decisions and thought processes. Algorithms play a role in determining the information we encounter online which diminishes our independent thinking skills. The constant connectivity to devices has resulted in less attention spans and increased stress levels, among individuals. Additionally, the immediate enjoyment provided by technology affects our long term planning abilities and problem solving skills.

In order to understand this issue more deeply I conducted a survey to understand the role of technology in modern capitalist society and its impacts on our thinking capacity and exploitation. The survey collected responses from around 30 individuals. The majority of respondents are aged between 18 to 30. In terms of occupation, half of the participants were students, followed by those employed, self-employed, and unemployed.

The survey revealed that daily technology use is a lot among respondents. Most of them used technology for 7-9 hours and no respondents are using technology for less than an hour per day. Social media usage is widespread, with Instagram and YouTube being the most popular platforms, used by 78% of respondents. Other frequently used platforms include LinkedIn, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, WhatsApp, and Reddit. When asked about the impact of modern technology on their daily lives, responses were varied. 40%% of respondents perceive it as mostly positive, 32% as neutral, 21% as mostly negative, and 7% are unsure. This mixed perception highlights the complexity of technology’s role in contemporary life, where convenience and connectivity come with both benefits and drawbacks.

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According to the repsosnes the opinions regarding the way in which modern technology impacts everyday lives and how this influences decision making processes and critical thinking differ. The majority of them believe that technology has impacted positively, while others are neutral or mostly negative about it, or they just don’t know. Many believe that technology provides useful information, although some think it reinforces existing beliefs and feels it creates doubt and confusion. Only a few see no significant influence on their decision-making process. In many cases, when being asked if technology helps improve critical thinking abilities respondents answered that indeed it did help them but not all agreed because others thought otherwise. When asked about changes in problem-solving skills or creativity due to increased technology use, some reported improvements while the others observed a decline.

Many think that technology is used to manipulate consumer behavior as well as are very concerned about the amount of personal data collected by technology companies. Most of them agree that technology companies prioritise profit over user well-being. Social media’s effects on mental health and social interactions are considered to have a negative impact by many respondents. 50% of the respondents frequently experience information overload or digital fatigue, some occasionally, a few never and a small number unsure. This shows the complex impact of modern technology on individuals’ daily lives, decision-making processes, critical thinking abilities, and overall well-being.

Through the survey, I was also able to recognise the concerns about the rise of technology in a capitalist society, showing how many of the respondents viewed it as a new form of exploitation. Around 46% of the respondents believe that technology definitely represents exploitation. For instance, data collection and privacy invasion (75%), manipulative advertising (75%), dependency on technology for daily tasks (50%), reduced job opportunities due to automation (32.1%), and mental health impacts from constant connectivity (71.4%). A small percentage also mentioned the negative influence of influencer culture on mental health and over-consumption.

In my survey, I had asked whether the convenience of technology comes at the cost of personal autonomy to my respondents to which around 54% agreed to some extent. Participants expressed the need for changes in technology development and use which includes better data privacy protections (78.6%), a technology that promotes mental health (32.1%), a reduction in dependency on technology (50%), a rise of educational content (46.4%), and lastly the decrease of influencer culture and spam (3.6%). Respondents suggested to set limits on the use of technology, to use technology mindfully, create awareness about the impacts of technology and promote more offline activities in order to decrease the negative impacts of technology. The survey highlights the importance and how technology exploits our society.

A few of the respondents shared their opinions on whether technology in a capitalist society that intentionally affects our thinking capacity and controls minds is considered to be a new form of exploitation. Several respondents raised their opinions such as technology’s addictive and distracting nature, which affects attention spans and critical thinking skills negatively. They said how social media algorithms make echo chambers, and the instant products promote convenience over skill. They think that technology is built to maximize profits by keeping users unaware of it. For instance, a search algorithm’s manipulation of choices results in privacy and behavioral control. Others pointed out negative mental health implications such as reduced creativity caused by constant immersion in shallow contents. Some viewed technology as a powerful learning tool but with the chance of being intellectually lazy. In fact, some replies demanded for strict laws to protect users while ensuring profit does not override user well-being.Others recognized that technologies are significant tools for learning, although they can also be used lazily.Some responses stressed the necessity of having strict regulations protecting end users and striking a balance between profitability and user welfare.On the whole, the discussion underlined concerns about technology’s position in today’s society as well as its propensity to exploit it.

In my opinion I believe that a capitalist society has created technology that reduces our thinking capacity. For instance, every day, many people including myself begin their morning by checking before even getting up from their beds, which shows how slowly and gradually it has been influencing our thoughts and behaviors. Social media platforms provide content based on our liked content which creates echo chambers, encouraging our existing beliefs and limiting our exposure to new ideas. The constant notifications and updates can reduce our attention hence, deep thinking becomes more and more challenging. As a result, technology designed to capture our attention and keep us engaged might be contributing to a decrease in critical thinking and a dependence on technology, which can be considered a new form of exploitation.

A discussion on how technological innovation and global capitalism was immediately after the year 1848 in a book entitled “The Cambridge History of Capitalism” written by Kristine Bruland and David Mowery appears in chapter four. In this chapter it is noted that various countries are always striving to “catch up” with those countries that are well off economically through their technological advancements. The material changes produced by technology arise from an amalgamation of knowledge, organization and techniques. Although the spread of capitalism was encouraged through innovation it was also driven by advancement in technology itself.

In an article co-authored by Philip Stiles, Eleanor Toye Scott and Pradeep Debata, mention how the relationship between technology and capitalism is very important to answer the question of whether capitalist society creates technology to decrease our thinking capacity and control our minds as a new form of exploitation. Digital technologies have significantly influenced capitalism, known as the “fourth industrial revolution” (Schwab, 2017). They enhance productivity but have control over the employer and increase worker exploitation, potentially diminishing our thinking capacity and autonomy.

Digital technology has disrupted the traditional social contract, historically a set of relations between the state, capital, and labor, providing secure jobs and shared risks. This disruption increases job uncertainty and inequality, with digital platforms providing short-term work and reducing collective bargaining power. This shows how capitalist societies use technology to create more flexible yet unstable labor markets, leading to worker invisibility and diminished agency (Jesuthasan & Boudreau, 2018). The concept of ‘digital Taylorism’ illustrates how digital technology can reduce worker autonomy through increased monitoring and limiting worker discretion and potentially decreasing their capacity for independent thought and decision-making. Which again make us realise that capitalist societies are design technologies to control workers’ minds and actions and exploiting them further.

Digital technology affects capitalism in three main ways. First, it reinforces existing power structures, making work less stable and reducing worker control. Second, it changes capitalism by introducing digital and financial elements, which reduces job security and lower the investment in worker skills. Lastly, while there are alternatives like worker cooperatives and local economies that could offer better models, current trends show that capitalism continues to dominate. Overall, digital technology can both improve and worsen worker autonomy, raising important questions about whether it’s being used to exploit workers and maintain capitalist control.

Lastly, I would just like to add that it somehow seems like capitalist society often produces technologies such as AI, social media apps and convenience products that make our lives easier but at the same time reduce our thinking ability and control our minds. This is often seen by many as a new form of exploitation that seeks to maximize profits, usually on the users own expense and their thought process.

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