The last paragraph was suggestive but I didn't quite get it; if you could expand on that that would be great.

Basically you already got it: Just using technology and having a good purpose in mind doesn't ensure that your goal is achieved.

Bitcoin is an example: It uses technology and has the idea of a 'free' currency, but it fails (or at least risks failure) by not embedding it suitably into society. This makes it prone to conterforce e.g. marketing/forbidding/taxing/externally regularing it - because that is not anticipated and handled. Or if it is anticipated the confrontation is chosen. ANd it causes friction because everbody has use apply its own reasoning how to use it - and each one likely in a differnt way working into opposite directions. For bitcoin this shows in the zero-sum race for hardware.