For the question “Why should governments or religions fear air pumps and electrical machines?”, it isn’t about literal air pumps and electrical machines – it’s about development and change. Governments fear change as new developments question their authority. Those with power have a hard time giving it up (as we see in our current government). Johnson tells us an example with the quote “The fact that the coal measures were centered in northern England shifted the nation’s economic balance of power away from the prosperous rural estates of Sussex, Essex, and Kent.” Social media holds social/political consequences today, with inaccurate information being easily spread and believed by the people (propaganda, fact checking, etc.).
I really like the social media example! I was super frustrated with the idea that the world we live in is very divided into specializations with not a lot of contact between them, but the idea that social media allows more people to come into contact with each other and ideas to spread, whether they be false or merited is super interesting!
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I think the balance of power you mention with coal is particularly compelling. Developing technologies generally drive economic growth, and this would be the flagship example. Another notable one is Silicon Valley in California taking economic power from the East Coast.
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