When it comes to emerging technology, the tendency to sink into pessimism is strong - after all, there's so much to be anxious about, and legitimately.
But Payal Arora argues that pessimism is not a solution, because we "cannot act from a position of darkness". In fact, she argues that "pessimism is for those who can afford to live in despair."
Without dismissing the problematic sides of technology, Payal argues that optimism is crucial because it fosters the essential energy to act on problems. Being pessimistic takes that energy away.
About technology regulation, Payal says, "there are always good people within bad systems. Identify the critical change makers from within because that's how you make change, not just from regulation and imposing the rules from the outside. People from within can also make a change, and together we can move forward. It's not either-or."
Indeed, one of the most empowering things to do is to rise above the binary thinking (e.g. optimism vs. pessimism) and see how people work, in their daily lives, to make the most of and with the technology at their hands, while being aware of the dangers it can also pose and work to limit those dangers.
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