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Glite Dictionary
dark side of technology

dark side of technology

6.2
Harmful effects of modern tools and devices that hurt people and society, for example losing privacy or loneliness
  • noun
translation icon : lado oscuro de la tecnología
  • Many people are concerned about the dark side of technology, such as privacy invasion and job displacement.

Examples

  • Some experts warn that the dark side of technology can lead to addiction and decreased face-to-face interactions.

  • The dark side of technology often includes issues like cyberbullying and misinformation online.

  • Some light has been shed on the dark side of technology: its cost, dehumanizing effects, and failure to solve important problems (Martens, 1997; Postman, 2000), and the fact that technology will not make a strong teacher out of a poor teacher (Silverman, 1997).

    Academic text (2008)

Synonyms

dark side
vsdark side of technology
106 5.7

Parts of a person, thing or situation that are hidden and harmful

focuses specifically on harms from modern devices and systems

Antonyms

benefit
∞ 1.0

An advantage that helps people or a community

How Harmful

dark side of technology
6.2

Surface Forms

dark side of technology singular
dark sides of technology plural

Morphology

dark + side + of + technology

The phrase combines 'dark' (negative/evil) with 'side' (an aspect) and the preposition 'of' to denote a particular aspect of 'technology', so a learner who knows the constituent words can infer it refers to harmful or negative aspects. This metaphorical but highly conventional construction (e.g. 'the dark side of X') is common cross-linguistically, making the meaning readily derivable for a B1 learner.

Etymology

The phrase dark side of technology may come from the image of a shiny device (technology) that also casts a shadow (dark side) you do not notice at first. So it is used to talk about the 'negative' or 'harmful' parts of modern technology.