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Technology and the Impact of Eras: Yesterday’s Routine, Today’s Absurdity
As tech observers, we chase the most advanced AI and the most powerful chips every day, but looking back occasionally, you will find that the evolution of \”technological progress\” and \”social norms\” actually complement each other. Recently, I read a feature on daily behaviors in the 1960s and 70s that absolutely \”blew my mind.\”It was a golden age when rock and roll emerged and humans landed on the moon, but behind the seemingly free-spirited exterior lay many behaviors that modern people would consider \”suicidal.\” These things, taken for granted back then, would not only be \”canceled\” by netizens in 2024 but could even lead to lawsuits. Today, we will count down these seven \”tears of the era\” and see how technology and regulations have guided society toward a more civilized path.
1. Ubiquitous \”Cloud and Mist\”: The Wild Era of Indoor Smoking
In 1960s offices, airplane cabins, and even hospital clinics, swirling smoke was the norm. People back then had no concept of \”second-hand smoke,\” which seems \”unbelievable\” from a modern perspective.
- Technology and Progress: With the advancement of medical imaging technology and big data analysis, we truly realized the direct link between lung cancer and smoking. Today, high-efficiency air purifiers and strict indoor smoking regulations have helped us say goodbye to those days of \”chronic suicide.\” This tells us that when data speaks, habits must change.
2. Real Record of Life-Risking Moments: Were Seatbelts Just Decorations?
Car interiors at the time were full of aesthetic appeal, but safety was simply \”unbearable to look at.\” Many cars didn’t have seatbelts at all, and even while parents were driving, children would \”roll around\” in the back seat or even the luggage space.
- Technology and Progress: From the three-point seatbelt to today’s AI Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) systems, technology has made driving no longer a gamble with life. Now, if a child is not in a safety seat, the police will definitely make you \”pay the price.\” This embodies the idea that \”technology always comes from human nature\”—and the most important part of human nature is staying alive.
3. Environmental Public Enemies: The Abuse of Leaded Gasoline and Asbestos
Construction materials back then sought fire resistance, and gasoline sought power, but the toxic harm of chemical substances to the human body was ignored. Leaded gasoline was mainstream at the time, and asbestos was a ubiquitous building material.
- Technology and Progress: The advancement of modern materials science has allowed us to develop more environmentally friendly and safer alternatives. This shift in mindset from \”only seeking performance\” to \”pursuing sustainability\” is an important milestone in technological development. After all, we only have one Earth; we cannot \”kill the goose that lays the golden eggs\” for the sake of development.
4. Vanishing Right to Privacy: Social Pressure for Conformity
In that analog era, although there were no digital footprints, social tolerance for \”heterogeneity\” was extremely low. Many personal rights protected by law today might have been the butt of jokes after dinner or even targets of suppression back then.
- Technology and Progress: Although digital privacy is a major issue now, the internet has also empowered minority groups to have a voice. Technology has broken information monopolies, making social values more diverse. Compared to the \”herd mentality\” of the past, we now have more opportunities to defend our own positions.
5. Littering Everywhere: A Disposable Culture Lacking Environmental Awareness
In the 60s, what was waste sorting? Was it edible? Tossing waste out of car windows or discharging wastewater into rivers did not cause much moral condemnation back then.
- Technology and Progress: Modern recycling technology and sensor monitoring systems leave environmental pollution nowhere to hide. This shift from \”negligence\” to \”rigorous management\” is the fruit of collective social awakening. We finally understand that squandering resources eventually requires \”paying the debt.\”
6. \”Jungle Law\” in the Workplace: A Labor Environment Lacking Protection
In those years, the concept of industrial safety was very weak. There were no ergonomic chairs, nor were there strict protections against occupational injuries; workers could only \”fend for themselves.\”
- Technology and Progress: Automated robots have replaced dangerous jobs, while Internet of Things (IoT) devices can monitor factory safety in real-time. Technology has not only improved productivity but, more importantly, protected the life and property of grassroots workers, which is true progress.
7. Parenting Adventures: Upbringing Methods That Look Like \”Abuse\” Today
Leaving toddlers alone in the car or using toys containing dangerous paint was common in the 60s and 70s. Parents back then might have felt it was \”not that serious,\” but today, this would definitely alarm social workers.
- Technology and Progress: Modern parenting technology (Baby Tech), such as breathing monitors and smart surveillance cameras, has given parents more peace of mind. Meanwhile, the improvement of regulations also ensures that the next generation can \”grow up safely\” in a more secure environment.
Author’s Perspective: Progress is Not Taken for Granted
Looking back at this history is not about criticizing people of the past for \”lacking common sense,\” but to remind ourselves: Today’s \”taken for granted\” norms are the crystallization of countless past lessons. Technological development is not just a hardware upgrade, but an improvement in the quality of civilization.As tech enthusiasts, we should be glad to live in an era where we \”know what it is, and even more, why it is so.\” Those \”tears of the era\” let us see clearly: only by constantly reviewing and utilizing technology to correct behavior can society truly achieve \”the ultimate good.\” Next time you feel that regulations are too nagging or tech is developing too fast, you might as well think about those \”suicidal\” routines of the 60s, and you will find that living in the present is actually a very fortunate thing!”
