Technology itself is neither good or bad. This summer's reading has been on books that make arguments about how technology may be a positive or negative thing for our society. Honestly, I don't think that technology is either. Clive Thompson touched on this in his book Smarter Than You Think when he said that the internet didn't cause people to do awful things, but the people had been wanting to do awful things from the very beginning and saw their chances through the internet. Some people even try to blame certain things on technology. For example, a few people have tried to say that technology has brought nothing but awful things upon our society because of guns, nuclear weapons, and mass consumption. But technology did not invent those things, people did. So if something is going to contribute to the downfall of the human race, it is going to be humans and not technology.
The thing about technology is that it is a great way for people to express themselves. Some people just happen to have negative mindsets while others have positive ones. So bad things don't come from technology, they come from the bad people who use technology. The internet and technology in general often get bad reputations because people believe that they bring the worst out in others. This is not an accurate statement because people who have awful intentions will look for opportunities to express those intentions and the internet is just another opportunity to them. Evil has existed in our society for centuries, but people are now more aware of it because of things like the internet. This reminds me of the saying "don't kill the messenger." In this case, the technology would be the messenger.
What are your thoughts on this?
Hi Grant. I completely agree with you! Like you mentioned, there are some people in this world with negative mind sets, and technology simply gave them the opportunity to express their negativity. So I'm on the same page as you!
ReplyDeleteYes, what you have said is true, I believe it is not technology which is good or bad, but how people use it which determines its worth. Even without technology there would still be wars, and bad people; it's just human nature. However, I do think that the internet does encourage more hate, because it gives us all the power to be anonymous, and without the fear of being punished for one's actions more people will do or say bad things. If you were invisible, wouldn't you do more things that were frowned upon? I know I probably would. (Hey! Why is the cash register floating!)
ReplyDeleteI sort of agree with your post Mr.Williams. However, I find myself slightly annoyed when ever I hear people talk about the Internet as if it's the one absolute thing that caused an overall negativity in the world. (Believe me when I say that there are a lot of people that believe this.) There was one thing that was born on the birth of the internet that's caused many problems: the existence of anonymity. Being anonymous allows for people to bring out their malicious side with no consequence. We can already see this with Robin William's daughter being "trolled" by cruel people so much that she quit Twitter.
ReplyDeleteHowever, the Internet has shown countless time that it has brought more positives then the negatives people try to always point out. A perfect example would be this right here. This blog is a small example of a teacher's desire to allow for meaningful conversations with each other about literary novels. Some people have trouble talking with others because of social anxiety and the Internet helps with this. It allows a breach for someone to express themselves without fear of being bullied for. I know from personal experiences because I used to feel down because I had social anxiety. I felt that people would make fun of me for my thoughts and going on the Internet and talking with other people on forums allowed myself to become more confident in my ability to talk with others in real life.
It sounds silly but I feel like the Internet is possibly the greatest invention created. Being anonymous sours part of the experience of the Internet but much like what you said it's actually based on the people that use the web.
Funny how (many) elderly are always stating that the internet has been a terrible contribution to our generation, and even blaming it for the wrong-doing of people! You state great points in this post and as i observe your theory from different perspectives i cant help but agree that technology is neutral. Even if technology such as the internet didn't exist, problematic people would probably still find a way to spawn dispute.
ReplyDeleteI am glad someone else shares this opinion as I always hear these ridiculous claims of how technology brings death and destruction. Does anyone actually believe that without the invention of say guns that there would be no murders? If guns or even knives did not exist then a wicked person would merely take up a sharp stick as the means to commit murder. With the internet many good things have come about but there is always going to be those people who try to corrupt it ultimately giving it a bad reputation.
ReplyDeleteHey Grant. I agree with what you have said. Technology was invented to make life easier for people. For example because of it, we can still have connection to those who are a million miles away. It can be used for the good or bad. It just depends on how you use it.
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