One reason you could argue against letting technology get too sophisticated is that we become trapped by our technology.  A pilot relies on technology to fly a plane so what happens when/if that technology fails?  People rely on technology for food.  Where does that leave us if technology fails?  There are many skills that are lost as technology takes over and completes certain tasks for us.  While this can be a good thing (we have more time for other pursuits, machines are more efficient, etc), it can also cause serious problems if that technology is not available.  There used to be a show on television called The Technology Trap that talked about this issue.  I know there are many articles and doomsday books that center around this very idea.

In terms of technology, you could discuss the pros and cons of cell phones in schools and classrooms.  Are they helpful/necessary or distracting?  Also, if you want to do something related to politics, you could have a connection related to technology.  For example, you could write about Obama's healthcare bill (pros and cons) and then go further and write about what would happen if the government put all of our healthcare information into a central data bank?  A system that could potentially be hacked into and/or seen by people that you don't know.  Regarding technology topics, the ideas are endless.  Pick something you're interested in learning more about.

Another topic within the general sphere of technology could be the use of unmanned aircraft. Drones are now used in multiple military situations but they are also being developed for domestic use.

This is in line with your ideas on monitoring as the drones are likely to be used for monitoring of various kinds and could literally fly above your back yard and check up on what you're doing. 

On the idea of technology run amuck, you might address (or include) the idea of nanotechnology, which at present has poorly researched health effects and no industry or product regulation. This is something that might complementFeedvery well. Nanotechnology is the force behind various microfibers and has a growing number of applications, though we don't understand nanotechnology's safety ramifications.

http://tinyurl.com/85vmb3m [search nanotechnology for two articles]

http://phys.org/nanotech-news/

http://tinyurl.com/7xgh92f

I suggest you choose something you already know a lot about and are passionate about.  Your passion will show through in this assignment.  As you research, you can learn more about the topic.  You will be even more motivated to do so.  Since I do not know what you are interested in it is hard for me to suggest something specific, but you might consider a sport, a band or a book that you like.

That should work.  There is a great deal of discussion of the impact that technology has on us.  For example, many articles have been written about the way in which social media and other uses of computer technology have changed society.  There is also a lot of literature about this, with things like Bradbury short stories or Huxley's Brave New Worldexploring such ideas.

If you were going to use technology as a topic, you would need to think of specific, plausible consequences of allowing it to become more sophisticated or advanced. I would shy away from nightmare scenarios, and think about real concerns that health, education, and social science experts have about the types of technology we use today.