Is Technology Enslaving Us?

The rapid advancement of technology presents humanity with unprecedented opportunities—but also significant risks. In a time when technology’s role in society is hotly debated, author and filmmaker Michael Cernovich offers a provocative perspective on its potential to both empower and enslave.

On the show Zero Hour, Cernovich joined host James Poulos to discuss technology’s role in shaping society, the transhumanist movement, and the lessons of history. According to Cernovich, technology today is not merely a tool but a pivotal force in determining America’s cultural and political trajectory.

“Trump doesn’t win 2016 without Twitter,” Cernovich remarked. “America is a right-wing culture—so right-wing that the media had to lie to prop up these other people as moderates and centrists.” In his view, platforms like Twitter not only enabled free expression but also shifted the balance of power against an entrenched establishment.

The discussion also explored the transhumanist movement, which seeks to merge human consciousness with technology. Cernovich dismissed its proponents as people who “hate their body and hate humanity as a result.” He compared the movement to historical instances of totalitarianism, noting that such ideologies were often enforced on entire populations, as seen in Mao’s China and Soviet Russia. Poulos added that these regimes imposed compulsory conformity, crushing individual choice and dissent.

Unlike the “pre-tech” societies of the past, Cernovich argued, today’s technology offers tools that empower individuals to resist similar tyranny. “You had to live that way in Communist China before tech … it’s not that we have to [live that way]. The question is whether we’re going to submit … is there a red line, or are we just going to cower and go along with it?”

Cernovich warned against the gnostic desire to escape human nature and transcend the physical state, calling it a “movement that seeks to escape responsibility” to God and to the demands of ordinary life. Yet he expressed optimism, stating that modern technology provides a unique opportunity to challenge authoritarian forces. “If we didn’t have these technological tools, we would have already been decimated.”

As technology continues to evolve, its double-edged nature remains clear. It can either bolster freedom or serve as a pathway to control. For America, the challenge lies in navigating this delicate balance—leveraging technology to defend liberty without succumbing to the darker temptations it presents.