Technology and Technophobia: A Historical Perspective

Technology is fundamental to the filmmaking form; it's how we are able to make films as filmmakers and watch cinematic works as film scholars. Without technology, we wouldn't be able to make the ultra-sophisticated films through digital technology that we are able to now.

Film emerged in a technologically turbulent time in our society. Unfortunately, this led to technology becoming vilified through popular media, especially in science fiction and horror films that create fear of technology in some audiences. This fear is known as technophobia. Technophobia is the fear of science and what technology might mean for humanity's future. 

 

 

Two classic examples of technophobia inspired films are Metropolis (left) and The Terminator (right)

 

Technophobia can find its roots during the two World Wars. These wars were shaped by technology. Whoever had the more advanced or powerful technology became the conquerers. In this context, the atom bomb destroyed illusions of a technologically perfect future. 

This evolved into a perspective that saw science as a threat during the cold war. This was replicated on screen through B-movies that had a biblical fear of knowledge. 

Read on to understand the contemporary examples of technophobia and how we can celebrate technology's influence through film. 

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