Technology is not progress

The other day, while trying not to burn the paratha and preparing my kids lunchbox, I found myself caught in an early morning debate with my brother-in-laws. Of course, it started with something harmless, a blog one of them shared about AI’s impact on our brain—and before I knew it, we were knee-deep in a fiery discussion about AI, the future of technology, and whether it’s saving the world or just making us more confused and exhausted.

And then I said something that made him gasp:
“Technology is not progress.”

I am sure he must have almost choked on his “oocha” ( a japanese green tea, something i learned that day, hehe)

Now, before anyone declares me a digital-age heretic, let me explain. I adore technology. I truly do. My phone isn’t just a gadget,it’s my third hand, my camera, my connection to people, and, let’s be honest, my therapist on some days. I order groceries with it, work with it, even occasionally ignore the world with it. i am no luddite,i panic more about low battery than I do about running out of atta. So, no, I’m not rejecting technology. I’m just questioning the badge of “progress” we keep pinning on it.

What I meant was, technology is progress—for technology. Not necessarily for humans.

Think about it. Your phone went from button-clicking to facial-recognizing, AI is writing poems, and robots are flipping burgers, But here’s the thing: technology grows into better technology. It’s a loop. Version 1.0 becomes 2.0, which becomes 3.0. That’s not necessarily human progress—that’s just upgrading tools.

Human needs, on the other hand? They’ve barely changed.

Roti. Kapda. Makaan. Actually, just roti (okay, metaphorically speaking). All we need to survive is good food, clean air, and meaningful human connection. That’s it. Add in good health, and we’ve hit the jackpot.

But here we are,chasing WiFi signals while sitting in air-purified homes because the air outside is too toxic. Growing food in labs and doing vertical farming, because the soil’s too poisoned. We’ve created problems in the name of comfort and now we’re building shiny gadgets to solve them. And then we clap and say “Wow! Such progress!”

We’re so caught up solving problems of our own making that we’ve forgotten what real progress even looks like. We confuse convenience with well-beingefficiency with meaning, and innovation with wisdom.

Don’t get me wrong—some tech has changed lives. Think of life-saving medical advances, assistive devices, or how a smartphone can connect a farmer to fairer markets. That’s beautiful.

But when tech becomes about faster scrolling, shorter attention spans, and creating more problems to sell more solutions? Hmm. That’s not evolution. That’s just a busier treadmill.

My 6-year-old loves Dr. Binocs (yes, that spectacled cartoon scientist with a funky mustache). He gets super excited about lava lamps and magnets and keeps doing all those crazy experiments with his dad. And it’s adorable. I’m not anti-science or anti-learning. I’m just saying—let’s not confuse technological upgrades with human evolution

True human evolution isn’t about how smart our devices become,it’s about how mindfully we live. It’s choosing presence over performance, connection over convenience, and purpose over noise. Progress isn’t just upgrading our tools; it’s upgrading our thinking, our habits, and the way we treat each other. In a world obsessed with what’s next, maybe real growth is learning to value what’s already here.

Well the discussion ended with one of them saying ” Invention of wheel for the caveman is equivalent to invention of AI for modern humans” and i am still stuck on did we really needed the wheel :P. so yeah none of us ever gives up, what can i say, a family that argues together, stays together,lol!!

Love & Icecreams

Sneha Singhvi

14 thoughts on “Technology is not progress”

  1. Heya..,

    Made me think too .. do we actually need this technological progress.. thnx for giving such rides of thoughts to our steady brains!!😎
    Keep writing 👏

    Reply

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