Think for a minute how different life would be without internal combustion, that wonderfully caustic concept of horsepower. If you removed the technology of the automobile from our society, how would it be different?
Technological determinism is the idea that a society's technology drives the development of its cultural and social contexts.
"Technology marches in seven-league boots from one ruthless, revolutionary conquest to another, tearing down old factories and industries, flinging up new processes with terrifying rapidity."
-Charles Beard
How would food be different without the influence of the automobile? While the sandwich is rooted in seventeenth century English origins, I'd venture it was the car that made it a hit, along with the hot dog and the hamburger. Where would fast food be without the car? Where would any food be? We'd still be agrarians.
Mobility technology shaped the planet. More than that, though, it fostered mankind's most feared and least understood attribute, the ego.
Technological determinism asserts that technology is a "key governing force in society." Internal combustion certainly validates the notion. But, I'd have to assert that regardless the social and cultural impacts of the automobile, I'm still the one in the driver seat.
What is it about technology and paranoia? 2001: A Space Odyssey introduced the innocuous Hal. The Terminator series paints a grim view of technology and the future. The Matrix, my goodness, we're all copper tops. What is it about human nature that vilifies technology?
Enter New Media. Talk about terrifying rapidity. What's most terrifying is shelling out bank as an early adopter for TNBT offering knowing full well that something better is right around the corner. Has technological determinism entrenched social communicative values or are we still in the driver's seat?
Please respond on your blog.
I think if a consumer is aware of what is happening with technology (it's changing, evolving, adapting) we as consumers are in the drivers seat, but it will take a lot of us to drive this train of technology. We always hear producers say something like, "you talked and we listened..." indicating that the consumer is in the drivers seat.
ReplyDeleteHowever, we only respond when we have some information to respond too and that is broadcast by the producers of technology. So I don't know, I'm back to the question of which came first, the chicken or the egg?
I think that technology in general has changed our values as human beings, in that we now rely on technology to get us where we need to go or ensure others where we are, instead of using simple handwriting skills we learned so very well in elementary school. As far as communication, I definitely think that technology has changed our values. We know require ourselves to communicate through texting on our phones, or e-mailing or typing on our Facebook accounts and nothing more. People hardly write letters or send cards anymore because of the invention of e-mail or social networking. It's a sad, sad world and we live in it.
ReplyDelete“Yes, I love technology
ReplyDeleteBut not as much as you, you see
But I still love technology
Always and forever”
-Kipp, Napoleon Dynamite
Technology is great! It drives us and we drive it. There is, in fact, a co-driving, or perpetual motion occurring. I think we have reached a place where it is no longer necessity that drives ingenuity, but desire. The desire for something faster, stronger, bigger, smaller, kinetic, voice activated, more responsive or user friendly, and the list goes on.
What do we get from technology? Everything! The old saying (old as in the 90’s when Sean Combs was still Puff Daddy) Mo money, mo problems is accurate. As technology progresses people will have the desire to have the best and newest technologies no matter the price tag that accompanies it. However, there are those of us that fall in the category of starving students that really can’t afford to buy the latest and greatest, but wait, some things are worth the sacrifice. Is there an ipad in my home? Why, yes there is. Did my kids eat Top Ramen for a week? I would never admit that. Oh, and by the way, if we are what we drive, I am a 2000 beat down, black Nissian Maxima, with three car seats crammed in the back like sardines. I have a stock stereo system, and a Black Ice air freshener hanging from a lopsided rearview mirror….sadface.
I don't think I'm in the drivers seat. I love new technology, even if I don't understand it. But I realized I'm kind of sad because I bought the iPod touch when it first came out and now all my friends have the cool new one that allows one to use face time and take pictures. I guess that means I need to get the iPhone with verizon to compensate....but as you mentioned earlier they will probably just redesign in the next few months. I feel like it's important for me to keep up with all the new technology so I don't get left behind, so they kick me out of the drivers seat that way. But it's all my decision as a consumer to choose what I want to spend my money on... So I guess I'm kind of in the drivers seat? But maybe that's what they want me to think....
ReplyDeleteI don't think I'm in the drivers seat. I think I am driven to get the hottest new tech items out there. I am almost positive I will be getting the iPhone in February even though I know full well a better one is on its way. Right now I'm almost embarressed to pull my phone out in front of people because I don't have a smart phone. I feel people may think I'm behind in the times if I don't have the latest technology. So yes I am being driven.
ReplyDeleteI think that the consumer is in the drivers seat when it comes to new technology. If you look at the Iphone every generation is made a little better. Some might say this is Apple releasing its product slowly so it has more sales however doing some research I believe Apple is right on point. If you release a product and particular function does not work your brand loses credibility. By perfecting things and then releasing when all the bugs are fixed brands make their customers happy and more likely to stay loyal to the product. The first Iphone was released with no Copy and paste feature. The consumers demanded the feature be apart of the next Iphone. Apple was still perfecting the copy and paste feature and when they released the next Iphone this feature was made available. I feel as one of the consumers I was in the drivers seat driving!
ReplyDeleteWithout current technology, if I want to buy something not available in St. George I must either drive to Las Vegas and look for it or not get it. With technology I can purchase on the Internet. Or, perhaps worse yet- or better yet, the only way to purchase the item I want is over the internet - that's where it is available. Looking at pictures of the current events in the life of my adorable granddaughter is available on FaceBook any time I want to see what’s going on in her life up-to-the-minute.
ReplyDeleteI can choose to not participate in technology, but that choice has some consequences I may not be willing to accept. I want to communicate with family members and they all communicate in the latest technology. I want to know what is going on in the world and participate in the community and in the conversations about current issues. If I am not willing to learn and use the latest technology I am severely limited. Regarding the question “are we in the driver’s seat?” Yes and no – if we want to be full participants we will adopt and adapt; otherwise we might be in the driver's seat in terms of the decision, but we are left by the side of the road.
However, I miss a scintillating conversation that takes place face to face.
As a consumer of video games I don't think I'm "in the driver's seat" any longer. When a new game comes out that I want I have to have it. Now, with other new media technology such as cell phones and computers I feel like I'm still in control. I just bought my first smart phone and laptop five months ago.
ReplyDeleteTechnology drives us as we drive it. To say there is no reason to get the new Verizon iPhone because they will come out with a better version of it relatively soon after is ridiculous. Are you expecting me to hang on to my Motorola Razor because I shouldn't dare to get the new Droid or iPhone for fear that it will be outdated within three months. If that's the way we as a society acted we would still be using typewriters and rotary telephones. So technology drives us to keep improving while we drive the improvements as consumers.
ReplyDeleteI think we are still in the driver's seat, but we have to choose when and where we are going to take an exit and stay a while, knowing full well that the road keeps going. However, we can always get back on the road when we have exhausted the use of whatever technology we settle on for a short period of time.
ReplyDeleteWe've all gotta stop to pee sooner or later. :P
We are still in the drivers seat because we choose which items to purchase (or not purchase) and the manner of its use. As the latest and greatest of technologies are introduced, the ego takes over; so possibly we switch to shotgun or backseat. The newest technology is what we crave, even though it may have tons of uses we may never even consider. But we want the capability to do it all. Upon returning from the Dominican Republic, my nephew observed what we would call sub-standard living conditions. But there was no lack of technology - cell phones and computers. We want to be connected. I recently read a twitter of a 5.4 magnitude earthquake in South America, but found no info anywhere else . . . at that point. So, it appears the value is being able to connect, have a voice no matter if the medium is the latest . . . . or was 5 seconds ago.
ReplyDeleteAre we in the driver seat of technology? That is a tough question to answer. I do believe consumers drive technology to be better and fit their style, but because of this, other consumers get left behind. Yes, we have the choice of what we want to purchase and what we can live without. Those of us who decide to live without are left behind. My mom just recently purchased her first cell phone because she was getting left behind. She was being left out of conversations. People don’t call house phones anymore, or even your cell phone for that matter. They text. Because my mom did not have a cell phone, people either didn’t talk to her or they would text my phone in order to pass a message. I love texting to an extent, but our communication has gone out the window. My own boss CAN NOT pick up a phone to call someone, she has to text.
ReplyDeleteLast semester my mom and I opened our first facebook accounts. I am still not sure I totally enjoy it, but you miss a lot when you are one of the select few who aren’t on facebook. A lot of my rodeo queening information is now posted on facebook. People just assume everyone is on facebook, so I was missing out on a lot of information or things that were going on with other queens. Yes, it was my decision to get a facebook account, but I feel it was those who have facebook who drove me to that decision out of necessity to stay informed.
Technology has moved so much beyond a generic cell phone. I think there is a dividing line between those who have the latest and greatest and those who do not keep up with technology. I am a waitress at a restaurant and overheard a conversation of a teenager trying to talk his parents into buying him an ipad. He said that all the smart kids have the newest toys and he feels he won’t be smart if he doesn’t keep up. I thought that was rather interesting.
New technology is also expensive, especially when you have to update every three months.
So, I think being in the driver seat is
questionable. I think the drivers are consumers who do keep up with the technology that force others to have to try and keep up too. Don’t get me wrong technology serves its purpose in our society, such as internal combustion talked about in this article, but I feel it has its downfalls to.
I think the answer to whether I am in the driver’s seat is both ‘yes’ and ‘ definitely no’. While I might write the words, I basically have no control (or very, very, very little control) over the vehicle I use to write the words. When I first started writing school papers, I used a pen. Sometime in late high school, I graduated to a manual typewriter, only because I was blessed to have parents that would buy me such a luxury for Christmas. Correction tape was a lifesaver! Then later came out the electric model and my fingers felt like they had been saved. Oh my, when the electric typewriter actually came out with memory (dinosaur to today’s word processing), I felt life was complete. But shortly thereafter, I started to feel used and cheated – the computer came out for general public use. I had to purchase a new computer every 2 years because of how fast they would go outdated. Pages I had typed and then saved on 8” floppies were no longer attainable to me because computers upgraded to 5” floppy disks, then 3.25” - and does anyone even remember zip drives? Programs I loved became obsolete forcing me to use “new and improved” programs that were often strife with problems and bugs. So while it can be argued that since I write the words I am considered in the drivers seat, if I am told what vehicle I absolutely have to drive to write those words, then I certainly don’t feel ownership of the seat. I can never get comfortable knowing in a few months I will again be forced into a different seat, even if I can not afford the cost to do so.
ReplyDeleteI want to focus on the line, "entrenched social communicative values." They are absolutely assaulted by New Media.
ReplyDeleteWhy is it vilified? Simply because human nature is in complacency. Socially, this may not be the case, but I believe individually it is so. Happy people (and despite what it may seem, the majority of people consider themselves content in any given moment) don't want change. Change is annoying and bothersome and often times not what we wanted, making us harken to the good ol' days. I miss logging into IRC chats with random strangers back in the grand old year of 2001, and learning all the ins and outs of that. It's already old news, and I've forgotten much of how to manipulate mIRC (the client I used to access instant relay chats.)
Long story short, the biggest reason technology is vilified in media is because we want to understand life, and the constant changes in which we live it are a hindrance to mortal understanding.
We are at a point where technology is driving us, but what is fascinating is the constant attempt to get back into the drivers seat. Constant advancements keep putting us further and further behind. However the fact that we constantly advance ourselves with the tech. we want the next biggest thing to continue complacency or laziness. I know that hurts because I am one of the worst. I have the hardest time excepting that I cant afford an iPhone or any good tech, but I daily strive to meet its expectations. The beautiful thing about technological determinism is that it keeps bringing us to the next level, like controlled evolution which is what it basically is.
ReplyDelete