Task 5: Abuses of Mind Mapping Technology

The emergence of every new technology will certainly cause some effects on both positive and negative sides. As to mind mapping, if correctly used, it can be very helpful in mental illnesses’ treatment, psychological therapy and criminal investigation; while abuses can also happen if it is used unethically to predict and control people’s thoughts or to reveal privacy. Even if it is used by ordinary people without unethical purpose, it can bore our everyday life. In spite of all possible abuses, the technology itself is useful, therefore, researchers need to predict and minimize the potential unethical abuses so as the technology can be applied fully to improve our society.

First of all, to predict the potential unethical abuses, the technology must be tested through strict procedures before it is commonly applied. As to mind mapping technology, it can be tested in some hospital or in the court, or anywhere else that the technology can help. After testing, researchers might discover some unpredicted results, and then they have to analyze the results and see whether there is anything wrong with the technology.

Secondly, to minimize the abuses, researchers must make sure the technology is accurate; otherwise it may cause some negative effect even if it is ethically used. For example, when the police investigate a suspect using the mind mapping technology, if it is not accurate, the innocent suspect might be penalized unjustly and the criminal might be let off wrongly. Similarly, it the technology is not accurate, a normal patient may be treated as a psychotic which is very bad for the patient.

Finally, restrict must be made on the accessibility of the technology. Since mind mapping is a high technological application, not all people have appropriate needs to use it. Thus, there must be some legislation or restraint of facilities to distinguish particular groups of people, such as doctors, consultants, police and law officers, who have access to use the technology so that other people will have no chance to abuse the technology in unethical means.

In conclusion, the mind mapping technology is quite a helpful technology in some professional areas. However, before it can truly benefit the society, researchers need to put great efforts into reducing the potential unethical abuses