Technology unmasking old social problems

Technology often does not create a social problem; it exposes (unmasks) problems that already existed but were hidden, accepted as normal, or not measurable. When a new technology is introduced, it changes who benefits and who loses, and the hidden inequality, discrimination or weakness becomes visible.

How technology unmasks old problems

1. Gender discrimination – ultrasound (USG): Ultrasound was introduced to check the health of the foetus. It was misused for sex-selective abortion in South Asia. This revealed the deep son preference already present in society, which is why Nepal and India had to make sex determination illegal.
2. Unequal access – digital divide: During COVID-19, schools moved online. Children of poor and rural families without smartphones, internet or electricity could not study. Online classes did not create poverty; they exposed the gap between rich and poor, urban and rural.
3. Corruption and bad governance: Social media, CCTV and online public procurement (e-bidding) expose bribery and misuse of power that existed earlier but was hidden.
4. Caste and social exclusion: When drinking water taps or community services are built, disputes over "untouchable" groups touching the tap show the caste discrimination that still exists.
5. Unemployment and lack of skills: Mechanization (tractors, excavators, automated machines) shows that a large part of the workforce is unskilled and that the economy cannot absorb them; this drives foreign labour migration.
6. Domestic violence and abuse: Mobile phones and social media allow victims to report abuse and let the public see cases that were earlier kept "inside the house".
7. Health problems: Modern diagnostic tools reveal diseases such as diabetes, cancer and malnutrition that were previously undiagnosed.

Why this matters for engineers

• Before introducing a technology, its social impact must be assessed: who will gain, who may be excluded, how it can be misused.
• Technology should be combined with laws, awareness and policy (e.g. the ban on sex-selective abortion, subsidised internet for schools) to solve the problem it has exposed.

In short, technology works like a mirror: it reflects existing inequality, discrimination and weakness in a society so that they can be recognised and addressed.