Technology and Social Change

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses how the distinctive lines which determine control and influence between technology and humanity are often smudged. Since the release of the desk top computer, society has been effected to a similar degree to which it has been served. The paper examines how computers used to be limited to large corporations, to run only the most complicated tasks. Today, they are used in almost every aspect of our life. The paper looks at the affect of the internet on our social habits, where a person is no longer at risk of being directly rejected if their ideas are outside of the social norms. In the event of a hostile response, the ?Delete? key is never far away. The paper shows that this oxymoron can drive our culture toward increased isolation, or it can cause the recognition of our need to socialize, to build intimate personal interaction, and to share life with others. It questions whether technology can guide society toward shallow e-lives, or whether culture will insist that it remain the servant, constantly climbing out of intoxicating isolationism.

From the Paper:

"In her book, The Real World of Technology, Ursula M. Franklin argues that technology has a disruptive effect on humanity. Her assertion is that if left-unchecked technology will eventually destroy society as we know it. She continues and contends that for society's sake, people must question everything before accepting new technologies into their world. In the book, Franklin's argument urges people to come together and participate in public reviews and discuss or question technological practices that lead to a world that is designed for technology and not for society. Franklin, however, seems unable to realize that the influx of technology and society's greater dependence of it may just be another step of evolution. Just as humans grew out of the ape and the hammer out of the twig, so to may the children and their tools of tomorrow grow to become something greater than even we can imagine."

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