Technological escalation describes the situation where two parties in competition tend to employ continual technological improvements in their attempt to defeat each other. Technology is defined here as a creative invention, either in the form of an object or a methodology. An example is the mutual escalation seen between e-mail spam

E-mail spam

Email spam, also known as junk email or unsolicited bulk email , is a subset of spam that involves nearly identical messages sent to numerous recipients by email. Definitions of spam usually include the aspects that email is unsolicited and sent in bulk. One subset of UBE is UCE...

mers and the programmers of spam filters and other anti-spam techniques. Although escalation

Escalation

Escalation is the phenomenon of something getting more intense step by step, for example a quarrel, or, notably, a war between states possessing weapons of mass destruction. Compare to escalator, a device that lifts something to a higher level...

 is usually meant negatively, if two companies are in an escalating competition to produce the best widget

Widget (economics)

The word widget is a placeholder name for an object or, more specifically, a mechanical or other manufactured device. It is an abstract unit of production. The Oxford English Dictionary defines it as "An indefinite name for a gadget or mechanical contrivance, esp. a small manufactured item" and...

, the consumer benefits because they get a choice between better and better widgets.

See also

• Arms race
  Arms race
  The term arms race, in its original usage, describes a competition between two or more parties for the best armed forces. Each party competes to produce larger numbers of weapons, greater armies, or superior military technology in a technological escalation...
  
  
• Competition
  Competition
  Competition is a contest between individuals, groups, animals, etc. for territory, a niche, or a location of resources. It arises whenever two and only two strive for a goal which cannot be shared. Competition occurs naturally between living organisms which co-exist in the same environment. For...
  
  
• Conflict (disambiguation)
  Conflict (disambiguation)
  - Movies and television :* Conflict , a boxing film starring John Wayne* Conflict , a suspense film starring Humphrey Bogart* Conflict , a 1956 American television series- Games :...
  
  
• Industrial revolution
  Industrial Revolution
  The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
  
  
• Technological escalation during World War II
• War
  War
  War is a state of organized, armed, and often prolonged conflict carried on between states, nations, or other parties typified by extreme aggression, social disruption, and usually high mortality. War should be understood as an actual, intentional and widespread armed conflict between political...