But in today’s time, we use technologies as our medium to interpret these messages. How easily is it to type into google “the Mona Lisa” and literally see the famous artwork in front of you? People use their computers to listen to music, rather than listen to it live. Even our writings are found through technologies; whether it is online journalism or the Kindle.
Many people argue that technology is used to help solve our problems as a society. However, Postman argues that,
“Technology does not touch life’s deepest problems. We may think it will, as so may thought in the 19th century, when the aim of technological development was to reduce ignorance, superstition, and suffering. And to some extent, they were right to hope so. And to some extent, technology did address those problems. But the technology celebrated now is just cruise control and electric windows.” (391)
I think Postman is right to argue this point. He is saying, essentially, that we are using technology as a band-aid to cover a bullet hole. Although I think that he is a bit extreme in his views, I do think we need to heed them, in order to make sure that we are using the technology, and not the other way around.
Lauren, your point about using the computer to listen to music rather than going to concerts has come up a lot in my Media and Entertainment class. In fact, the online music industry, specifically websites like Napster have left artists in quite the predicament. Everyone is getting music for free- and the artists aren't seeing the profits they used to see.
ReplyDeleteOn the flip side, though, artists such as the Grateful Dead have grown exponentially thanks to the underground, "free" music movement.
ReplyDeleteI can understand where Postman is coming from, as it seems everyone is enthralled with the next gadget, rather than the next potential tool. It seems technology is centered more around our entertainment, instead of our growth. Hopefully we will be able to find a happy medium between these two categories.
ReplyDeleteI think we do still appreciate the simple things, but on a different scale, because we have access to them better. It is a bad thing of course because in most cases we don't have to leave our house to do things that we used to have to travel to do. We can see the Mona Lisa online, and get a description of it from many hundreds of sites, when we would have had to travel to a gallery to view and get our understanding of it.
ReplyDeleteWe do still need to create a division between what should become electronic and technological, and what should still be part of our simple, "real" life!
I like the band-aid/bullet hole metaphor. Mainly, Postman wants us to think twice before jumping on the latest technological bandwagon, to ask whether the innovation is needed, whether it solves any problems for us, and whether it might cause any new ones that we might wish to avoid.
ReplyDeleteI think Postman has a valid and interesting argument. His idea about the dangers of new technologies and how they can create unforeseen issues. One recent issue comes to mind. Lately there have been a number of commercials addressing sexual text messages. One commercial begins with a girl standing naked in the school gymnasium describing how her boyfriend asked her to send a naked picture to him. At first she says no but after some pressuring, she sends the picture, saying that she loves him and its not like the whole world is going to see it. To end the commercial a narrator says, "If someone pressures you to send a revealing photo, you have the right to say no. There's a thin line between him and the whole school."
ReplyDeleteThis is a perfect example of an unforeseen consequence of technology. Its sad that we need commercials telling girls not to exploit themselves via text message.