Naivete Comes Before Fear
Creatures of all types have a bad habit of not recognizing new dangers.
The first wild game to encounter early humans did not run away in fear. They were easy targets. Kids do not know how to recognize danger. They are easy targets.
We don’t understand the risks of new technology until we have years of negative experiences with it. We are easy targets.
Familiar, Yet Unrecognizable
With regards to technology, I think a small tweak to something familiar can lower our guard immensely.
In the T.V. show The Simpsons there is a running gag where Homer strangles Bart out of anger. It is a cartoon, so it is funny.
If the show were made with human actors acting out the scenes, the audience would react with disgust at the child abuse. It would be off-putting, not funny.
Similarly, if a dangerous robot has a cute interface, this will affect the way we perceive it. Our guard will be down. Dangerous things become mentally passable.
The Safety (Danger) of Online Dating
I think people can be this way with online dating- both collectively when online dating first became a thing and individually when trying a new online dating service for the first time.
It seems people have a sense of security with online dating.
They can’t be kidnapped, they can’t be assaulted, they are just sitting behind a computer screen apparently far away from harm. What could go wrong?
This lulls people into a false sense of security which contributes to the number of people who fall for catfishes and romance scams.
Messy Bun Book Lover
(Originally posted on Apr. 7, 2025)
To read more thoughts on There is No Ethan by Anna Akbari, you can follow these links:
- #8 Reflections on “There is No Ethan”
- Why Do Smart People Get Scammed?
- Why is it Always a Health Crisis?
- The Importance of Healthy Relationships
- When Intelligence Meets Manipulation
- Conveniently Timed Sorry’s
- How Many Blog Posts Can I Write About a Single Book?