Humans have continually wielded materials, from steel to silicon, in new ways to send technology leaping forward. But those technologies have unintentionally moulded our bodies and society.

Increasingly precise clocks — based on steel springs and then quartz crystals — kept society humming along... But with the Industrial Revolution’s focus on factory schedules, humans became ever more obsessed with time, and our sleep habits suffered. Likewise, electric lights made with carbon filaments let people work and play for longer hours, but upset circadian rhythms, with a variety of negative health impacts (SN: 10/17/16). This has been exacerbated by technology's blue light impact on sleep. 

Telegraph wires of iron and copper allowed news to travel quickly across the world, beginning in the 1840s. 

Chemist Caroline Hunter and photographer Ken Williams, Polaroid employees, in the 1970s fought their employer over the use of instant photography to monitor South Africans during apartheid. 

Tracking with GPS and electronic monitoring are both issues of concern. 

Materials change us in ways we hadn’t expected. But by being aware of these effects, society can choose how to respond.

Today's big issue with new materials is around privacy: 

Read https://www.forbes.com/sites/marymeehan/2019/11/26/data-privacy-will-be-the-most-important-issue-in-the-next-decade/?sh=6115a7721882 

View video Nothing to Hide https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pu3k5o51-BQ [7.51 mins]