The Benefits of Technology: A Luddite's Perspective
Is technology worth it? Yes, we can reach vast numbers of people in little or no time, but is this inheritantly good? Personally, I think the ability is meaningless unless the content and results are also considered. In a sense, difficulties are what make us individuals. It is the trials and obstacles overcome that shape us.
H.G. Wells shows a glimpse of a future human society in "The Time Machine" that has actually started devolving because at some point science was advanced so far that it eliminated all desease, work, and pain in society. Well's Time Traveler enters a civilization that is being used as livestock by a splinter race living inside the earth. The surface dwellers live in fear of the dark, but as soon as the sun shines, they're dancing, singing, and smelling flowers. They have lost the ability to create, think, and even defend themselves because their distant ancestors eliminated all trials through scientific advancement.
Telephones have gone a long way in lessening the importance and value of people's time and relationships. Before telephones, speaking with someone five miles away took a good bit of effort. You had to set aside the time to travel and speak to a specific person. Their is meaning when someone rides a horse or walks five miles to talk to you. Today, we often don't even have to cross the house, because there are three or four phones to choose from before you even get to cell phones. Conversations do not have to be as meaningful or thought out because there is no effort involved in starting one. A thirty second call is a perfectly resonable result for the two second investment of picking up the phone and pushing a button.
Television has contributed to bringing the world together. It carries our news, our entertainment, and our education today. It has eliminated, in large part, the need for people to communicate individually. It is much more entertaining to watch a program with special effects and images that conveys the same meaning right? Well, television is also geared toward general audiences. Even more specific shows are generalized to reach the largest possible body of interested viewers. Language is altered or "dumbed down" because not every person knows what "equinox" or "obfuscate" mean. Personal, one on one, or small group gatherings, wether for entertainment, education, etc... is aimed for specific people. Thoughts, feelings, and learning are all specialized to the immediate people and their needs or desires.
There are numorous studies about the effects of television on the human mind, especially the developing minds of children. Not real good. But, here's a new one to me.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/04/22/email_destroys_iq/
This is a study on the effects of email on peoples minds and communication abilities. Similar to what I just said about telephones, the ease of email is lessening the content of communications and people are loosing their ability to judge the value of a message's content. This is short and worth the read.
Basically, when we create something to do a process for us, we have the tend to become dependant on the creation. Theoretically, we could still retain the ability as well as the labor/time saving device, but we would have to limit its use and force ourselves to use the ability with in us. Thinking, communicating, music... is not like riding a bicicle. If we don't use it, we lose it. One of the big problems is that we are simply lazy and impatient beings. If we want something done, we tend to use the way that takes the least amount of effort and time. It takes effort to work.
I'm not saying that technology is bad. I am saying that it comes with a huge price, the value of which varies individually, but society as a whole tends to become more dependent on technology
and less on themselves and relationships. Is this good, bad, or just different? Personally, I lean towards "bad," but I'm the one blogging...
posted by Curran | 10:28 AM
3 Comments:
On your ideas about phones, and how people used to have to plan the time to go visit someone in order to talk to them. For me, I do not talk on the phone a lot, and it usually takes some effort for me to make phone call. So, when you do get a call from me, it is fairly rare, and means that I am tryig to stay in touch. So, for me phone conversations can and are meaningful and thought out. I guess this is all subjective. remember, you can feel cared for when you get a phone call from me!!! :)
I think I need to clarify what I am trying to say in this post. Among my friends and family, I don't really see phones and e-mail reducing the quality of relationships. The do allow us to maintain relationships over long distances for which I am very greatful.
My point is that there is a strong potential for these forms of technology to be used differently, to actually reduce the quality and meaning of relationships. If you need proof, simply meet with a group of average college students after class and see how long it takes for someone to recieve a one line text message something to the effect of "you stink" or "I just ate Wendy's." This is more than just "being a part of that age." The writings and thoughts expressed are changing. One doesn't even have to look too far into the past to see noticable differences.
Brief aside: I despise the phone. But, I realize that is is often the only form of communication I have with certain people, and the desire to connect outweighs the means. I still hate the device though.
Julie and I appreciate our phones mainly because the use of them causes us to like each other a lot more. There were those pre-cell phone years of marriage when we needed weekly counseling to figure things out. Then there were the post-cell phone years of marriage.
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