Technology is great concept that has birthed into our lives, because through technology we as a community can communicate better and more efficiently. For instance cell phones provide an easier way of communication, whether it is calling someone on the phone or sending text messages to them. Text messaging is a huge form of communication, goes hand in hand to what McLuhan says about our development in the media. How our world and society revolved around by ear, we all communicated by hearing what people say and converse back. But now times have changed, no longer do our ears become our only source of communication. As McLuhan said, “We gave our eyes ears”, because writing the invention of the alphabets we are able to read words instead of just hearing what people say on a radio or tape. For instance people used radios to communicate from airport message announcements of flights, now today airports type messages on electronic message boards showing all the listing of flights. Another would be the internet, because people can communicate through blogs, writing out the words out instead of speaking, being able to express oneself freely. And I think the most common and more useful is text messaging on cell phones, because it makes communication more convenient for everybody. For example you have a son sick at home, but you have business meeting to attend, and you can’t make calls because of inconvenience of the meeting. But now you could send text messages to your son and he can communicate back without disturbing the meeting. I feel this goes hand and hand with relationships now a day. People aren’t so rhythmically spoken or even lack romantic gestures to talk to their girlfriends or boyfriends, but talking breaks that barrier, because one can block out their anxiety and nervousness in front of their loves, and express what is on their mind and heart freely without stressing over what their lover is thinking. I think this is a much easier way of getting
But to all great aspects of life nothing last forever and therefore problems veer its ugly head. People now have to learn to catch up to time and the new age technology. People who are much older in their 40s, 50s, 60s, and 70s are found lacking in the technological world of today. The older generation has to learn a whole new way of communication and living to adapt to this constant changing age. For example my parents are very behind in this new technological age, where I have to aid and teach them every step of the way on how to use their laptop or using their phones. As McLuhan pointed out that, “Innumerable confusions and a profound feeling of despair usually comes in this age of technology”.(McLuhan) I do agree in this concept because my own family is proof of such confusion of vast new age of technology. I too often feel overwhelmed, because the fact of the barrier of privacy can be broken, often I feel that my privacy is being threaten with the new age of technology such as cameras and what not. I feel like often I’m being watched or someone is spying on me, recording my image or the words I say. I feel like sometimes I can’t always say what I want in fear of being monitored these can also hurt the concept of communication because now people can freely express what they feel or the emotion they wish to exert.
I agree here with you are saying technology can be both helpful and harmful. On one hand it's very convenient. It allows us to communicate in a form that makes our lives a lot easier and saves us time. But on the other hand, while it's growing and advancing rapidly people are being left behind and they don't know how t use it such as older people. My parents find it amazing that we can web cam someone on the other side of the world or just chat with someone on the internet. Although they do know that all this exists it is hard for them to understand how or why. Our eyes have becomes our ears. Instead of listening to what people are saying we usually end up reading it. Our fingers have become our mouth because that's the way that we respond. Sometimes it can be great because people can sometimes type what they cannot say out loud but sometimes it can be harmful because you lose that face to face interaction.
ReplyDeleteDo you feel like technology has supressed you from expressing yourself the way that you want? Has it become too convenient in a way that is harmful to your creative expression?