Jason Thomas

Jason Thomas

Contributing Writer

Jason is an expert in technology, investigations, and cyber security and has worked with governments, the private-sector, and non-governmental organizations to identify threats and opportunities that will shape the future. As Chief of Innovation for Thomson Reuters Special Services, Jason facilitates, oversees, and executes long-term solutions to emerging technology challenges. The views expressed are his alone and do not necessarily represent the views of Thomson Reuters or Thomson Reuters Special Services.

You can follow Jason on Twitter @jasonthomas.

 

Instead of watching a horror movie this season, what if you could be in one?
Until the Internet was allowed on commercial flights, the solution to assuage my fear of flying was to find the nearest airport pub and throw a few back before boarding the plane. That’s all changed.
In an attempt to be original, to stand out amongst the almost 300 million other selfies on Instagram, we actually fade into the background. We become mundane. Photos are no longer about remembering an event; they’re about displaying. They’re about showing the world who we are, who we wish to be. And it's damaging our ability to remember.
Lately, we’ve become so infatuated with creating the next big thing, rushing headlong into crafting new technologies that we’ve neglected to think through the ethics of it. Just because we can doesn’t mean we should.
Using technology is like having sex. We like the fun, the feelings, and the connection with others. But if aren’t mindful of downstream consequences like having babies, spreading disease, and dealing with psycho ex-lovers, we can end up in situations that we never anticipated.