Why Do People Resist New Technologies?

One important reason people resist new technology is that most new technologies are not maturely developed at present. Firstly, inconvenience occurs in the implementation of some new technologies. For example, the solar water heater is now widely used. However, some disadvantages exist. The most crucial one is that not enough hot water is supplied during rain and winter time. In addition, solar water heaters are not available during power outages because they are electricity based (Technology, 2006). Realizing such limitations, many people would rather use traditional water heaters. After all, to the majority, convenience is the most important criterion when choosing a household appliance. The reliability of products should be better developed. Secondly, some new technologies have not been widely publicized yet. People tend to resist something they barely have knowledge about. One example is genetically modified food (GM food). We seldom see any advertisements about this new technology in the media. People are afraid of buying GM food, which is thought to bring potential danger to human health. However, many of the advantages are not seen. GM food contains more nutrition than ordinary food. Less pesticide is used on GM crops, which is good for human health. If people know more about the positive side of GM food, and many other new technologies, they may feel more secure about leaving their comfort zone to accept new things. In conclusion, the immaturity in both the reliability and publicity of new technologies results in people’s resistance.