Silicon Valley-centered Western technological power and the silent structure of global control
Silicon Valley-centered Western technological power and the silent structure of global control
In the modern world, technology is not only a development tool but also a covert way of increasing power and influence. The Western technological power that revolves around Silicon Valley is today a major controlling power over digital infrastructure globally. Not only do they offer technological advantages through services such as cloud infrastructure, web browsing services, AI, ML, SEO, and database infrastructure, but they also exert subtle control over information flows, knowledge production, and behavioral patterns online.
Algorithmic control is a significant feature of this technological domination. Algorithms that control the availability of information are an important element of this technological domination; The neutrality of information, therefore, is at stake, and a particular type of thinking or a perspective becomes more dominant than the other. Indexing, citation and APC-dependent academic arrangements similarly impact on knowledge production in such a way that which knowledge is to be globally accepted is mostly determined by technology, as well as platform.
Also, plagiarism/anti-plagiarism software, constant software updates, new technology launches, and significant global marketing have all resulted in the creation of a full technology-oriented ecosystem. This ecosystem does not just benefit the users but also begins to determine the thoughts, choices and behaviour of the people, gradually. Thus, users become unwillingly integrated into a system where their decisions and preferences are limited to pre-designed patterns.
Beyond this, this dominance of technology is producing a global “consumer mentality.” Dependency on artificial intelligence increases and capital market expands in new way through data economy. It analyzes users’ behavioral patterns and valves, predicts their choices, and creates new patterns of consumption accordingly. Instead, technology created human needs and identified the means to satisfy those needs.
All in all, technology is not just a means of development here; it is a silent control system that is having a deep impact upon the economy, culture and the psyche of people. That is why this essay will not consider the benefits of technology alone but will also consider their power-based implications and effects.