Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Embrace the Technopoly: It's Not a Bad Thing!

Technology can be either an advantage or a major problem. If we completely depend on technology, then we will become a "technopoly". Or so Postman claims at first. However, we kind of already are one. Inventions are technology, and our day-to-day lives involve all kinds of technology, from iPhones to laptops to pencils to books and so on. True, inventions can change the way we think. But it seems so gloomy to immediately assume that those inventions will control or try to harm us. It is worth considering the risks and possible societal differences this invention will create. However, keep an open mind. "As for change brought on by technology, this native optimism is exploited by entrepreneurs, who work hard to infuse the population with a unity of improbable hope, for they know it is economically unwise to reveal the price to be paid for technological change." The argument Postman brings up here is worth mentioning, however, entrepreneurs are without a job without societal problems. So it is safe to assume that entrepreneurs focus more on helping to solve these issues than "infuse the population with an unity of improbable hope." So embrace the technopoly: it's not necessarily a bad thing! Not to say that we should observe no caution, but the question is not "Are we living in a technopoly?", but "How do we live in this technopoly in a way that honors ethics?".

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