Theory of Technological Social Control

Examines how the very design and infrastructure of technology inherently regulate human action. It’s not just about using tech to surveil; it’s about how platforms, algorithms, and physical devices create environments that make some behaviors easier and others impossible, automating control into the system's architecture.

Theory of Technological Social Control Example: A social media algorithm that demotes or shadowbans content with certain keywords. This is direct, automated technological control. It doesn't require a human censor; the tech system itself is designed to restrict the flow of information and shape public discourse by invisibly governing what can be seen and shared, controlling behavior through interface design.

by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal February 7, 2026

Theory of Technological Social Control

Examines how the very design and infrastructure of technology inherently regulate human action. It’s not just about using tech to surveil; it’s about how platforms, algorithms, and physical devices create environments that make some behaviors easier and others impossible, automating control into the system's architecture.

Theory of Technological Social Control Examines how the very design and infrastructure of technology inherently regulate human action. It’s not just about using tech to surveil; it’s about how platforms, algorithms, and physical devices create environments that make some behaviors easier and others impossible, automating control into the system's architecture.

by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal February 7, 2026

Field Technologies

The tools, devices, and platforms engineered to operationalize control within a constructed field. These technologies make the field tangible, enforceable, and measurable. They are the physical and digital infrastructure that turns a theoretical scientific framework into a system of daily surveillance and behavioral modification.

Field Technologies Example: The "smart ring" that tracks sleep, stress, and activity. It’s a field technology for the field of "Quantified Self" science. It renders your biological and emotional states as data streams, enabling external benchmarks (corporate wellness programs) or your own anxiety to govern your behavior based on the field's prescriptions.

by Dumuabzu February 8, 2026

Fractal Technologies

Practical devices, algorithms, and systems that exploit fractal geometry to achieve superior performance in sensing, imaging, communication, and computation. Fractal antennas are compact and multiband because their self-similar shape resonates at multiple frequencies. Fractal image compression algorithms achieve high ratios by exploiting self-similarity within natural images. Fractal heat sinks maximize surface area within a constrained volume. These technologies don't just use fractals as decoration; they harness their mathematical properties for function.

Fractal Technologies *Example: A fractal antenna etched onto a mobile phone circuit board looks nothing like a classic dipole. Its Koch snowflake or Sierpinski gasket shape repeats at smaller scales, allowing it to resonate efficiently at 4G, 5G, and WiFi frequencies simultaneously, all within a square centimeter. This isn't aesthetic; it's Fractal Technology—using self-similar geometry to solve the multi-band antenna problem that confounds Euclidean designs.*

by Dumu The Void February 11, 2026

Cognitive Technologies

Tools and systems that extend, amplify, or simulate human mental capabilities—memory, reasoning, perception, and decision-making. Writing is a cognitive technology; so is the abacus, the spreadsheet, and the GPS navigation system. These are not just information storage devices; they are thinking prosthetics that transform the very nature of the cognitive task. A pilot flying with an autopilot isn't "not thinking"; they are thinking in a different, technologically-mediated way. Cognitive Technologies are the externalized hardware of the mind.

Cognitive Technologies Example: Google Maps is a Cognitive Technology. It doesn't just store map data; it actively performs spatial reasoning you would otherwise have to do, presenting you with a optimized route. Your brain no longer needs to build a mental model of the city's geography; the tool builds it for you. This is cognitive offloading—and the technology becomes part of your extended mind.

by Dumu The Void February 11, 2026

Human Technologies

Tools, systems, and protocols designed to modify, augment, or manage the biological and psychological capacities of individual human beings. This spans the ancient (yoga, meditation, mnemonic techniques) to the futuristic (cranial implants, gene editing, nootropics). Unlike Social Technologies, which target relationships between people, Human Technologies target the person themselves—their memory, mood, lifespan, or physical capability. They are the applied toolkit of self-improvement and, sometimes, self-transformation.

Human Technologies Example: The prenatal vitamin is a Human Technology—a mundane chemical intervention to optimize fetal development. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a Human Technology—a structured protocol for retraining maladaptive thought patterns. Both are engineering applied to the human organism, one biological, one psychological, united by the goal of improving human function through deliberate design.

by Dumu The Void February 11, 2026

Social Technologies

Tools, platforms, and systems specifically designed to shape, facilitate, or control human social interaction at scale. Unlike general technologies that have social side effects, Social Technologies are engineered with the explicit purpose of organizing relationships, forming communities, or modifying collective behavior. This includes everything from the town hall meeting format and parliamentary procedure to Facebook's newsfeed algorithm and Tinder's matching protocol. Social Technologies are the invisible architecture of how we connect, cooperate, and conflict.

Social Technologies *Example: Robert's Rules of Order is a Social Technology—a 19th-century invention for managing democratic assemblies. Reddit's karma system is a Social Technology—a 21st-century invention for curating content through collective approval. Both are tools for organizing human interaction, designed with specific theories about how groups should function. Both shape behavior as powerfully as any machine.*

by Dumu The Void February 11, 2026