As each generation gets more and more technologically advanced, (we moved from rotary phones and telegrams to texting and instant messaging) things that most people hadn't even dreamed of only 50 years ago, have now taken over our culture.
Things like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter have all become a normal parts of our daily lives. Is this a good thing or a bad thing though? How is it affecting the way we interact with each other? Social networking sites are pretty much the same things, just different vehicles to staying "connected" at all times. It seems people have traded out walks in the park for staying indoors to surf on the web. Leaving, it appears, the world outside slowly being traded in for the world of the web. Maybe the internet is just the modern version of what television was in the 50s and the next generation will come out something more interactive with even less effort than what we use today. Does all of this technology come with huge tax onto our environment, society and culture though?
I think one cultural effect of internet over-use that can be seen in society today is a more narcissistic outlook on life. It's all about us. Can you blame our generation for being self-important though? I think this has come about because most of our spare time ends up being spent working on MYSpace, posting pictures of yourself on FACEbook and putting music on your Ipod or Iphone, downloaded from your Imac - and of course, not to mention, while your doing all that can update your "followers" (because everyone needs a couple stalkers?) on twitter, about everything you do, every second you do it - not that twitter posts are usually very interesting because most people are tweeting about the same thing - you, your "status," or websites that are in-fact devoted, to yourself (and pfft. Who wants to read that garbage? No one. Especially if it's not your twitter, talking about you...)
Michelle,
ReplyDeleteWhat I first noticed about your blog was that you show the progression of technology for each generation, something that I really liked and shows you how in a way nothing has changed even though everything has evolved.
Your main point that people are becoming less interactive physically and more digitally actually goes hand in hand with your other main idea that people are becoming more self-centered. The two of these show how people are closing up into shells and forgetting about the outside world.
I think that you arose some very interesting points about "I" products. While I'm sure that Apple intended for this to mean it was the owners own product, you flip that onto its head and show that Apple is a leader in the centering of the worlds citizens. I never really thought about this and it is in fact very interesting, because it shows how technology is treated as a representation of oneself with everything having a name reflecting them.
Your mention of Ipods especially affected me because it made me think of how I named my ipod MinIV, in reference to it being a miniature representation of me. This led to me later naming my computer MarcoV, as it was a larger representation of me. I think that your talk of Twitter is also interesting. I for one hate Twitter. I find it to be even more self-centered than Facebook and Myspace and it has almost no value for networking and reaching friends, like the others. It is the perfect example of how self-centered our world has become.
Overall, I was quite surprised by your blog and I look forward to reading more of your insights into the world we inhabit, and the world we live in.
What Henry said, you clearly laid out the fact that technology evolves after each generation.
ReplyDeleteOther than that, technology has deprived us from the world. Technology traps us in our own digital world and causes us to become aware of ourselves only.
I liked how you went deeply into how narcissistic we are and it reminds me of people who likes to take picture, as we call them "camera whores" <-- I think that's really funny.
Your reference to "FACEbook", "Ipod", "Iphone", and "Imac" really caught my attention. I read it and I was like oh shit, so true. Now that you mentioned "FACEbook", facebook actually sounds like a book about your "face" or your life. How narcissistic.
Your blog gave me a new point of view on facebook, thanks.