By Kelly OBrien Executive Director for Berwick Industrial Development Association, Inc. (B.I.D.A)
By Kelly OBrien Executive Director for Berwick Industrial Development Association, Inc. (B.I.D.A)
O’Brien
When mobile phones first entered the market, they were met with a mix of fascination and fear. Today, a strikingly similar pattern is unfolding around data centers, the industrial backbone of cloud computing and artificial intelligence. Although the technologies differ, the social reaction follows familiar lines: concerns about health, environmental impact, transparency, and loss of control. Examining these two moments side by side reveals less about the technologies themselves and more about how societies respond to change.
Cell Phone Panic
Public anxiety around cell phones intensified in the mid-1990s, coinciding with rapid network expansion and the appearance of cell towers in residential areas. The number one concern was health risk, particularly the fear that low-level radiofrequency radiation emitted by handsets and towers could cause cancer or neurological issues. These same worries occurred when X-rays, microwaves, and even television broadcasts were introduced into society, where uncertainty preceded scientific consensus.
Sociologist Adam Burgess explained how these fears were shaped less by medical evidence than by institutional distrust and media amplification. News reports and activist campaigns frequently highlighted worst-case scenarios, even as large-scale medical studies failed to demonstrate causal harm. Governments responded unevenly, some adopting precautionary exposure limits, others emphasizing personal responsibility, creating further confusion and public fears, according to Adam Brguess’ book “Cellular phones, public fears, and a culture of precaution.”
People’s anxiety was not limited to health. Cell phones were criticized for enabling constant surveillance, eroding privacy, and disrupting social norms. Yet over time, as the devices proved indispensable and regulatory frameworks matured, public fear subsided. What once seemed intrusive became essential.
Today’s Data Center Anxiety
Modern data centers occupy a similar position, necessary but poorly understood. Unlike cell phones, which are personal and visible, data centers are vast, industrial, and lacking transparency. Communities encountering them for the first time often react with fear and contempt.
The most common concern is resource consumption, particularly electricity and water. Large data centers supporting AI and cloud services can consume amounts of power comparable to small cities and millions of gallons of water per day for cooling. These demands have triggered fears of higher utility bills, groundwater depletion, and increased carbon emissions.
The lack of transparency has further intensified the fight from residents. Operators often classify facility-level energy and water usage as proprietary, leaving residents and local legislators to rely on estimates rather than disclosed data. This secrecy has sparked efforts in multiple U.S. states to mandate reporting and local oversight, reflecting deep concerns about accountability and democratic consent.
Unlike early cell phone fears, data center anxieties are both speculative health effects and collective environmental costs. Residents worry they will have to bear the downsides of noise, land-use changes, and infrastructure strain, while economic benefits such as jobs and tax revenue are smaller than promised. Workforce issues will be addressed in a future article.
Parallels Across Eras
Despite the differences, several themes recur:
• Invisible risk: Radio waves and the use of electricity and water; both involve forces not observable by the public.
• Scientific uncertainty at scale: Early cell phone research struggled to prove long-term safety; today, the same is true for data centers and power lines, and the concerns of the cumulative environmental impact of thousands of data centers remain difficult to quantify.
• Rapid deployment outpacing regulation: In both cases, infrastructure expanded faster than public policy, leaving communities feeling powerless.
• Media-driven amplification: Social media posts, newspaper headlines and advocacy campaigns highlighting and exaggerating potential harms before regulation and governing structures can catch up.
These similarities suggest that fear is often less about technology and more about loss of control and lack of knowledge during periods of rapid change.
One distinction separates the two eras. Cell phone fears were centered on individual bodily harm, while data center fears focus on shared resources and community impact, such as water tables, power grids, and health concerns. Concerns are being exaggerated by the lack of information and transparency from the data centers.
Where cell phones eventually proved safe enough for personal use without major lifestyle tradeoffs, data centers force communities to negotiate real, measurable costs. As a result, modern opposition is emotional and increasingly policy-driven.
Lessons from other Industrial Revolutions
The history of all industrial revolutions suggests that fear does not automatically mean rejection, even though the delays in progress are very real and time-consuming. Over time, transparency, standards, and normalization can replace anxiety with acceptance.
However, data centers may face a more complicated reality to confront. Unlike personal devices and products being manufactured, data centers depend on local resources, making compromise essential.
If trust is to be built, the past suggests three conditions matter: clear disclosure, cost sharing, and meaningful local participation. Without them, today’s data center debates may harden into long-term resistance rather than fade as cell phone fears once did.
From steam engines to server farms, society repeatedly greets industrial revolutions with suspicion. These fears are not irrational; they demand accountability when technology reshapes daily life. The comparison between early cell phone anxiety and modern data center opposition highlights a consistent truth: technological progress advances fastest when social trust keeps pace.
Kelly O’Brien is the Executive Director for Berwick Industrial Development Association, Inc. (B.I.D.A)
Kelly O’Brien is the Executive Director for Berwick Industrial Development Association, Inc. (B.I.D.A)
Kelly O’Brien: Our technology fears repeat themselves – Times Leader
