In Thesis 28, Greenfield discusses the computer’s importance in our society. It holds our gateway into the digital realm and enables us to do pretty much whatever we can accomplish with a “magical box”. This reminds me of my first thoughts of the “magical box” we first opened up at my home. Complete with music burning, DVD and photo editing software, that box quickly became the central tool in my life. I call it a tool because essentially, that’s what it is. It allowed me to create, explore and connect to the world. I quickly saw the progression of our society as dependant on such elaborate and complex devices. That point quickly reminds me of a movie I recently saw. The movie Babel is an intertwined mix of storylines that all deal with communication and locations. Whilst, a deaf, mute girl in Japan uses her video-cell phone to “talk” idly chit-chats to a friend in her luxurious Tokyo-skyline loft, a little boy and his brother in Morocco run across a desert to deliver an important message to their father in a stone hut. Two societies, in the same world at the same time using different means of communication and technology to do the same thing. In the same movie, the main character, in need of an ambulance for his wounded wife, is stranded in a small village in the same Moroccan desert with only one telephone to call for help. I have no doubt that seeing this movie made aware of not only customs and traditions of different countries in this world not being on the same page, but also the differences in technology make for vastly different ways of life. I’m not saying that countries with computers are the only ones to prosper, but the welcoming of technology has enabled many societies to come together and grow into this “dawning age of ubiquitous computing”.
2 comments:
I was just thinking of how our fast our world is progessing and thinking if we are leaving some countries way bedhind in the dust. Some countries in Africa are too poor to even own own paper and pencils, how will they keep up with countries like Japan who are propelling to new heights? Will this huge seperation of technological advancement hinder our own progression?
Technology is such an awesome thing, but there is always that fear that it could be too much. I hope that we are at the point where technology is at its best or on its way there. I'd hate to see it on the downfall and see what destruction will happen when everything fails. What goes up, must come down, right? You would hope that this wouldn't be the case, but there's no telling. There are some crazy people out there who like to test the boundaries.
I can't imagine what it would be like to not have access to a computer and be connected to the rest of the world. I know that I have been able to keep in contact with friends and family electronically and I am pretty sure that the closeness I have with them would not be possible withtout it. I mean who really talks on the phone anymore? :-P
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