Technology could take over the world

Technology rules society. Almost everyone is walking around with either an iPhone or an Android in their pocket, many of whom also use a Google Home system, and even more of whom use Amazon for most of their orders.

The four most valuable companies in the world are all technology based. Apple, number one on the list, recently passed the $1 trillion valuation mark. The next three most valuable companies — Google, Amazon and Microsoft — are worth $2.1 trillion combined. In comparison, there is about $1.67 trillion in circulation in the US.

But these companies did not simply manifest this wealth from nowhere. Society depends on them for almost all daily functions: planning schedules, communicating, navigating, ordering things to our homes and even running them electronically. According to TechCrunch, over 16 percent of Americans alone use a smart speaker in their homes (i.e Google Home/Amazon Alexa). Looking deeper, it may be frightening how much of our lives is controlled by modern technology.

Apple’s stock once sold for one dollar a share, and is now worth over $220 a share. Apple revolutionized the technology industry with the personal computer and continue to do so with each new iPhone, iOS update and Macbook. New features are constantly added, making life easier and easier for us. At some point, convenience borders on control, creeping into every aspect of our lives.  

With their wealth alone, these companies hold significant influence in the world. With all their customers and users, they could quite possibly take over the world. According to Forbes, Android and iOS account for 99 percent of the worlds smartphone population, meaning over 2 billion people use their smartphones. The only obstacle they would have to overcome is their Terms and Policies contract, which nobody ever reads anyways so who knows, they might already have control.