The document discusses information ecologies using the metaphor of the 1927 film Metropolis. It explores how technology impacts lives and defines an information ecology as a system of people, practices, values and technologies in a local environment focused on serving human activities. Different views on technology are discussed, from those who welcome its inevitability to those who see its invasive effects, with many perspectives in between. Examples of information ecologies in libraries, virtual worlds, classrooms, and hospitals are provided.