&gt; In a way, I feel social norms are like a gas in a multi-dimensional parameter space; they expand to cover all the volume allowed by the technology we have.<p>I&#x27;d say if anything technology is a gas that fills a space restricted by both what is technically possible (both generally and for us in particular), and our social norms [0]. The (lack of) prevalence of rape is not just a result of the technical possibility and the efficiency of law enforcement. Most people don&#x27;t want to do it, just like most people don&#x27;t want to be terrorists, and like at least <i>some</i> people genuinely don&#x27;t want to spy on others (which is hard to believe for some I know).<p>[0] that is, our individual choices - since individuals are the only place where things like norms, laws, societies, nations and even technology <i>actually</i> exist, as fragments that together with other fragments in other actually existing people form shape the emergent patterns and behaviours (in the context of technology: hardly anyone, if anyone, understands everything involved in making a CPU, and that involves medicine and food and infrastructure for the workers required, I really mean <i>everything</i>, which for even things much simpler than a CPU is a lot).<p>To consider technology or other things actual agents is just false IMHO, technology doesn&#x27;t do anything, and it can be pretty much be forgotten within one generation. In that sense, it&#x27;s not like gas at all, it doesn&#x27;t just &quot;march on&quot; or &quot;expand&quot;.