Stupid? No. Changed? Yes.

As I read Nicholas Carr’s article, “Is Google Making Us Stupid?”, I found myself feeling the very way he talks about his own feelings. Carr sees himself and his mind beginning to change because of the way that we now look for and receive information: from the Internet. Carr believes that his ability to read and think deeply has most definitely been affected by the Internet and I must say that I agree. As a child, teenager and young adult, I was a voracious reader. I would read books in a day and sometimes 3-5 a week. I loved when I could be challenged by the material and often sought out books that did so. Nowadays, my story mirrors Mr. Carr’s. I cannot focus on long articles (even this one!) and tend to skim more than I really read. I struggle to read critically and absorb the serious reading I once used to. I just don’t read or think that way anymore. Carr shows us how this has happened and explains that because reading is not natural to humans and we spend much more time online rather than in a traditional library setting, that this is bound to keep happening to us. Our way of thinking has changed. We look for and take in information in a new way so we’re bound to think in a new way as well. Who’s to say whether we were better off then or now, but one thing is certain, change is bound to happen and one can either embrace it or stay behind. -Susanne Makosky

A Shocking...er, Lazy Future!

"We must begin to say 'no' to certain kinds of technology and to begin to control technological change because we've now reached the point that technology is so powerful and so rapid that it could destroy us unless we control it." I spoke of the trouble and problems of technology’s planned obsolescence in my first post about my likes and dislikes. “Future Shock” is a perfect example of the dangers, but I believe that the film and its ideas do go a bit too far into a twilight-zone style horror story. On one hand, we cannot say no to technology that saves lives (well we could, but that’s a different morality argument) and on the other, we shouldn’t say yes to technology that destroys lives. I feel like picking and choosing what technology we make use of would spawn a morality war instead of seeing how it’s use would actually affect us. I must say that this is a slippery slope. We cannot deny the appeal of technology that makes life easier, but I do agree with the idea that we must learn to say when enough is enough. As I write this, my mind is flooded with visions of a post-apocalyptic, “Wall-E” style living situation where we’re all completely overweight, pumped with processed food-like liquids and perpetually confined to a hover chair with a holographic screen that shows only advertisements. It’s tough to think that that reality is impossible when today’s innovations can sometimes completely change our daily lives. All we can do in the meantime is look for the signs and symptoms of Future Shock and attempt to treat them…just kidding. -Susanne Makosky

Ups and Downs, Likes and Dislikes

Like: Convenience, multi-tasking, Dislike: Cost, planned obsolescence Technology is everywhere in the twenty-first century in which we live. New ideas are brought to life every day and as we have seen, the possibilities are really endless. As with everything there are pros and cons, likes and dislikes and technology is a perfect example of how this is so. I am the proud owner of 3 Apple products and must say that I’m not only pleased with their performance, but with their look as well. For me, aesthetics are important when it comes to technology. I love the sleek look of Apple’s devices and the idea that they’re more powerful than their predecessors and competitors. What I enjoy about technology in general is the convenience. I love having a world of information at my fingertips (though I’d still happily open a book any day). Sometimes it’s just not feasible for one to do everything that you can with an iPhone at the same time, so technology’s multi-tasking capabilities are also an attraction. My dislike list is a bit longer when it comes to the frustrations that technology can spawn within a person. First issue: the cost. It’s tough to keep up with the pace of technology (especially speaking of Apple here) without spending a small (or large) fortune. This brings me to my second dislike, planned obsolescence. While innovation is good and we are indeed blessed to have the technology that we do, the idea that a product will become obsolete within a month or a year is sort of awful. I want the things that I spend large amounts of money on, to last me for years, not weeks as per today’s technological reality. -Susanne Makosky

“Technocomedy: When Technology Makes Us Laugh”

                Technocomedy, yes I made that word up. But only because I believe there should be a word to describe the relationship between technology and comedy.