Penetration of technology and not the minds:
Well, evolution keeps continuing its course. We have automated many many routine tasks, bridged information gaps and now we boast of using our brains to think sharp and enjoy life rather than wasting time on mundane and low value activities. But what is the flip side. Critics complain about materialism and how modern life has in fact screwed the pristine life of the older days. Does this argument have merit? Why not? I am not going to try to look at this problem comprehensively in this blog. Let us look at only the following issues: Rising crime, terrorism and suicide rates, addiction towards consumption, moral decline in teenagers.
Who are all the affected players? The poor, the uneducated and unemployed youth and the directionless teenagers. Two main causes seem to appeal to me: One clear reason is their integration to their society is less. I am discussing the other reason here:
First the description:
The poor – No clear opportunities to relinquish poverty and the government’s reforms fall behind the average growth.
Children/teenagers – Just into the ‘real’ world after spending only fraction of the life in protected environment. Due to lack of experiencing different possibilities, they are more driven by instincts and fancy rather than rational thinking.
Unemployed youth - A life to live but no opportunities
Employed but hapless consumers – Earn money but not mentally trained.

The same set of 'commons' existed in the olden days but created far less trouble to the society. They existed, rebelled but their impact was well controlled.
Now we started progressing. Well developed minds invented all the tools for the modern era. They transferred their tools and technology to the next generations. However they failed to create a system that transferred their well ‘developed’ brains or thinking to all human beings of next generations. Now, the commons are left with technology but less of developmental thinking. Reexamining them,
Poor – In the older age, no car or cell phone meant less trouble. When the poor got a car (in American context) and even a cell phone for cheaper prices, he just did not what to do. Neither did some one come up with a mechanism to save them. Being a common, he gets exploited. He finds that those devices are useful to steal or commit a crime and collaborate with other of his type of commons.
Unemployed children/youth – A 15 year old boy in Tanzania is carrying a grenade launcher; thanks to the technological development and education deprivation that stopped the natural development of his ‘common’ sense.
Teenagers – Unlimited internet, innovation in drug trafficking, mobile technology, organized sector expansion of pubs, clubs-They get access to all of these when their mind has not yet developed to make a right or wrong decision. When parents couldn’t help the situation, the kids loose track.
Consumers – Thanks to the advanced distribution, promotion and pushing effort of corporations. Consumers are made to feel inferior without using the corporation’s goods and need to establish their value by consuming these goods. With in few cycles of consumption, we fail to differentiate ourselves from the object we consume and get addicted to these. Only a developed and rational mind can keep itself away from the effects of over consumption. How often do we wonder how advanced American population reelected Bush? Science has penetrated the population but thinking skills have not been transferred.
Access to technological advancement without equal growth in human development (rational) or knowledge will lead to chaos and misuses of technology. No wonder this gets dubbed as fault of materialism.