Is Hi-Tech just another "Machine in the Garden" that is resulting in dehumanization? Or will Hi-Tech prove to redeem humanity from the deleterious effects of the Industrial Age?
I would have to say that all evidence to date indicates to me that "high tech" is just more of the same. An evolution of the technology that forms the heart (or life blood) of the "Industrial Revolution."
I would invite those that would like to persuade me otherwise to point to an inflection point(or points) that demonstrates a change from the gross trends of the Industrial Revolution.
That said, technology is not inherently evil. It is all a mater of how it is employed, and with what goals and objectives. So far, the primary objective has remained the accumulation of wealth (to the detriment of numerous virtuous things).
The industrial revolution brought in many changes in perspective, one being of course that the environment can and should be exploited and the rewards used to create wealth, mainly for the rich but eventually spread around if unevenly. Of course it was not quite that simple. The Industrial Revolution brought focus on the material world establishing a subject and object focus. Such a view created the scientific revolution that created hi/tech but presents also a focus on materiality and the need to renew and extend materiality..
Good day Nancy. I think it depends on a number of factors some of which may not be related to a specific technology. For example, the more a specific innovation is adopted and the more it diffuses through society, the greater the volume of materials required to manufacture it and therefore the greater the amount of materials to be mined and the impact on nature and society - unless it can be produced from renewable materials in a sustainable way. If the materials used in a specific hi-tech device is fairly abundant and available in the earth's crust at fairly high concentrations (grade) then the impact is likely to be less because fewer waste may be produced. Hope this is the type of feedback that you are looking for.
According to an article in today's Physics World, climate scientists predict that we will be experiencing worldwide drought due to the 1 degree C. rise in global warming each year. Specifically, this means that, already nobody has been paying attention to climate scientists and others who are sounding the alarm that human society is going to pay a price for maintaining lifestyles like frequently flying on commercial jetliners and aiming for three-car per family car ownership and other fossil fuel burning activities. Thus, there will be a worldwide drought that will result in a 50% decline in wheat production worldwide. We will not be able to continue eating 4 to 6 slices of bread as recommended by USA nutritionists, but, at best, be reduced to eating only 2 to 3 slices of bread per day. Since I eat the prescribed amount of bread (I am allergic to rice), and I have always managed to live and work within walking distance, only infrequently using public transportation, and I take scientists' discoveries very seriously, I post the following link for the Physics World article:
https://physicsworld.com/a/drought-may-hit-half-worlds-wheat-at-once/