10 Worst Technologies of the 21st Century

It should be easy to determine the ten worst technologies for the 21st century. The issue is deciding what constitutes a bad technology. A technology can be considered bad because the aim was wicked or because it did not meet an admirable goal. One of the most useful technologies pertains to vehicles because they are critical for the modern society.

This being said, more than 1.25 million people are killed by cars every year. If a well intentioned technology does not succeed, it may be ahead of it’s time or have a fundamental flaw. A good example is the Segway Dean Kamen invented. The device was supposed to transform transportation and cities, Unfortunately, it was nothing more than an expensive scooter that made people look ridiculous.

Hoverboards were very popular until the batteries began exploding. Despite this, the popularity of safer powered skateboards and smaller scooters has not waned. If a lesser company had developed Google Glass, it may not have been picked on quite as often. Google should not have made their wearers appear invasive and elitist. The product failed just like the hoverboard and the Segway.

It is important to note the product failed, not the technology. Heads-up displays and augmented reality glasses have found their audience. Some technologies have good intentions, but create new problems as opposed to solving existing issues. Prior to electronic voting, there was an audible paper trail left from automatically tabulating paper ballots. Elections have since become more vulnerable to hackers.

The Technological Failures

Some failures result from using technology to fix what is essentially a political or social issue. A good example is One Laptop Per Child. The product was originally created to use a new gadget to solve the inequality in the educational system. The problem was the device came out way too early.

Since then, smartphones, tablets and commercial laptops have become incredibly popular all over the world. When technology is used indiscriminately, a lot of different concerns and worries are triggered by society. This is often because the current regulations are abused. Techniques for gene-editing such as CRISPR may be able to cure nearly every type of disease in the future. The issue is there is no evidence CRISPR is safe when used on humans. CRISPR made the list of the worst technologies of the 21st century for this reason.

In some instances, failures occur because regulations have been outpaced by technology. Remixing or sharing an individual’s data without their awareness or control is called data trafficking. This has been a contributing factor to undermining both democracy and personal liberty. There are other technologies that were simply misapplied. Cryptocurrency appears to be a way for a few people to gain wealth while the majority of participants end up poorer. Despite this, the underlying technology is good. The blockchain has the potential to transform other areas in the future. The 21st century has also produced some inventions with absolutely no redeeming features. E-cigarettes were invented to help people stop smoking. Instead, a brand new generation has become addicted to nicotine.

There was a loophole the manufacturers of e-cigarettes took advantage of to avoid the public health regulations established to help prevent cigarette smoking. Some of research suggests e-cigarettes are more dangerous than traditional tobacco. Plastic coffee pods are saving people time in the morning, but are generating a ton of waste extremely difficult to recycle. Selfie sticks were nothing more than a complete failure. Legislation has been outpaced during the 21st century. Many of the latest technologies have been cleverly concealed within the transformative space. Some of the best possible consumer technology was released during the 21st century. This includes the iPod, the iPhone and the Wii. These innovations did not prevent this period in time from being filled with massive product failures.

The Biggest Flops

Microsoft produced a lot of failures including Microsoft Vista and the Microsoft Tablet PC. Some of their biggest failures set the company back in a substantial way. Microsoft was not the only one to manufacture technological failures. There was actually a wearable DVD player released on the market. The social networks such as Friendster and MySpace were disasters destined to become relics. Numerous consumers had horrible experience with many of the products being sold on the market. The majority of consumers purchased these products with excitement, only to gain nothing but disappointment. Many of these products never became popular for one reason or another.

The world of technology had a large number of failures during the 21st century. In most cases, the failures are soon forgotten, while the successes live on. If nothing else, the failures ensure the modern consumer appreciates the new and effective technology a lot more.

The Recent Technological Trends

If the average person was asked what the best new technology was just ten years ago, the majority would have said a computer. There are currently in excess of one billion tablets being used by people all over the world. Some estimates show the number of tablets now exceeds the number of traditional desktop computers being used. The recent trend in smartphones must also be taken into consideration. More and more people want a much larger screen. The reality is the line between smartphones and tablets has started to blur. The differences between the two are becoming smaller and smaller. The reason is tablets now offer the same portability as a mobile device. The difference is a tablet enables the user more of the usability features of a desktop.

The technology of a tablet computer was a good idea. It was so obvious the tablet would be successful, many people wondered why it had not been invented much earlier. The truth is someone did come up with the idea for a tablet sooner. Despite this, the computer world was rocked by Apple and Steve Jobs in 2010 with their debut of the iPad. The majority of people are still unaware the very first computer tablet had already been released about a decade earlier. The Microsoft Tablet PC first premiered in 2000. Despite all the innovations including a touchscreen, there was not much excitement from the general public. The functionality of the smart mobile device eventually become synonymous with Microsoft.

Bill Gates granted an interview in 2012. He stated Steve Jobs performed certain tasks better than he did. This included Jobs timing for releasing the mobile tablet, the engineering work and the overall package he put together. In many instances, the old saying about necessity being the mother of all inventions rings true. The problem is many of the inventions were just not necessary. To make matters worse, some inventions should never even have been imagined, forced on an unsuspecting audience or mass produced. Some of these inventions became well known while others faded into obscurity. Three of the worst inventions of the 21st century are defined below.

The Rear-Flushing Spittoon

The rear-flushing spittoon was created for use inside of a vehicle. This might sound like a practical idea, but most people do not chew tobacco or use a car window to spit out snot. Fain was the Copenhagen man who decided using the motor for the windshield washer fluid to hook up a spittoon was a good idea. There were very few people in the United States who thought this idea made any sense. The average person rarely has the need to spit out of the window of their vehicle. Although there were some exceptions, they were far and few between. This invention never became even remotely popular.

Motor Powered Roller Skates

Motor Powered Roller Skates were manufactured in China and brought to the United States through Amsterdam. The majority of sales were made over the internet or on street corners. The good news is the skates were not expensive. The bad news is they were extremely dangerous. The skates were maneuvered using a handheld throttle device. A speed of twenty mph could be reached in less than twenty seconds. The skates never had proper brakes affixed. An emergency stop button enabled the wheels to be locked by the users. In almost every single case, the end result was a horrible accident. There was never any mystery as to why these skates never become available at the local toy store.

The Motorola Razr Phone

The Motorola Razr cell phone was most commonly referred to as the MotoRazr. Despite the name, the phone did not provide a good shave. The problem was between designing and marketing the phone, nobody ever took the time to actually try out the phone to see if it really worked. The reports sent in about the consistent failure of the Razr to accomplish neatness on any level led Motorola to reevaluate the status of their phone on the market. After this great debacle, David Beckham started endorsing a new product, the Rong Zun 758 Mobile Razor. This product replaced the Moto Razr with a little better results. The bottom line is it is easier, cleaner and cheaper to just shave at home.