Technology promised to connect us but divided us instead. As people worry about smartphone addiction and vow to spend less time on their laptops, social media companies are scrambling to placate a world that has caught on to their products’ ability to turn us against one another, tip elections and even incite violence. The Pew Research Center has found that between 2015 and 2019, the percentage of Americans who view technology companies as having a positive impact on the country plummeted 21 points, from 71 percent to 50 percent.