Dear class,
For class on Thursday, I would like to discuss and evaluate -- as concretely as possible -- the fears over technology "taking over the world." As you certainly know, there is a long history of representing computers/robots/technology as "evil" and destroying human civilization. Think, for example, of the Matrix (a film in which humans are essentially the "food" for a massive, omniscient super-computer) or the idea of "the Borg" in Star Trek (an all-powerful, computer-like being that consumes everything in its path). Can you think of other examples?Why is technology to be feared?
Perhaps the video that Kevin posted (below) can help us -- why are we so scared of openness? Why can't the technologies enable new, more open social formations rather than dystopian visions of a fallen world?
The real work for the seminar is this:
How (if at all) is Google and Google technologies changing society and our very notions of what it means to be "human"? How is Google changing the ways we think about information and knowledge? How is Google changing the ways we think about privacy, individuality, identity, and our sense of self?
Please spend some time looking at the posts already on the site and thinking about the implications of various Google Technologies: Google Search, Google Earth/maps/streetview, Google Latitude, Google Docs, Google Book search, Gmail, etc. Look at the various posts and comments already on the blog.
Finally, learn about at least one Google Technology that you have never heard of before (ie, Google Knols). Click here to see some that you know and some that your probably don't know.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
the ambiguity that the internet allows arises fear in many individuals. Whereas the old fashioned way of meeting people necessitated face to face interaction, in which individuals would have a very hard time concealing their true identity, the internet allows people to essentially become anyone they wish. This is scary for many people and the media perpetuates these fears by making it appear the norm for individuals to fabricate their identity in order to manipulate and hurt people. We are afraid that the changing dynamics of our social interactions will lead to dangerous and uncertain situations which we cannot make sense of.
ReplyDeleteGoogle appears to be deindividualizing everyone and essentially creating a homogeneous society in which all individuals can essentially become the same. You can create a profile that mirrors that of your best friend, you can use applications that are an expression of your interests, which are the same as the person sitting next to you. Our sense of self is defined by what we use, do, occupy ourselves with but this sense of self is constrained by the tools that google gives us. Our identities don't appear to be unique and limitless when viewed in this light. Information and knowledge is not a privilege reserved for the elite anymore, it is accessible by everyone with an internet connection. What does this mean? how do we define ourselves when knowledge used to be one such defining characteristic?
Privacy is another matter altogether. Individuals are becoming more and more reliant on the internet and as a result are more willing to provide websites and companies with their private information. At the same time however, these individuals are skeptical of the security of their information. It seems that individuals can find out a lot more about any given person than is desired but we want these conveniences. We are, for the most part, walking contradictions. On the one hand we enjoy the pleasures and convenience derived from using the internet to accomplish our daily tasks which necessitates relinquishing private information but at the same time we label google as an evil giant that is attempting to collect this information. We give it up but we want to blame someone or something for anything that may potentially go wrong. This might be one of the major fears, who or what to blame in the case of an unanticipated outcome.
I couldn't help but think of the movie iRobot when I thinking about this topic...somewhat cheesy movie, but the thought and concept of computers taking over so many functions of our daily lives is not too far away in the future. You don't have to look any further than Honda Corporation's Robotics Division to see that robots and computers are increasingly becoming apart of our lives.
ReplyDeleteHumans are afraid of being replaced by machines, and this resentment against computerization is nothing new. At the turn of the century and during the industrial revolution, millions were fearful of the prospect of machines taking over their jobs and loosing employment, while in reality it helped the world forge ahead so we could focus on more important things. Google is now doing the same thing, but even in a more broader scope. It is helping people see and learn more about the world, bringing people together. Humans across the world must learn to embrace this incredibly unifying technology, not take a Victorian era viewpoint and close themselves off from the future that is inevitable.
When you asked how Google changed the way people looked at information, I could only say that it is accessible now. Everything, in terms of knowledge, is taken for granted. People do not have to go out and research various scientific fields, themselves, or search various libraries to look for an article someone published on the subject they desire. Google allows people to be ignorant of what else is in the world. Its not evil, its just a way to direct people towards laziness in all aspects of life. You don't want to pull out a map? Google maps. You aren't planning on walking around a neighborhood to see what it looks like? Street View.
ReplyDeleteGoogle makes things more accessible, but takes away the simple everyday tasks that allow people to go outside and do their own thing.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWell hello everyone. So I am totally regretting that I missed the discussion on Thursday about this because frankly...this is one issue I am passionate about and really, my post here may be more of an expansion (in words) on what that video I posted said.
ReplyDeleteIn all honesty, I don't think Google is fundamentally changing any of these things (knowledge, "concept of being human", information,), it is simply changing the way we interact with certain things. I will make one exception to that with the concept of privacy but even that...I think Vaynerchuk and the video I posted does a good job in saying...the internet is no different than a conference room.
Were human beings different when they were in automobiles as opposed to when they were in horse-drawn carriages? No. We are fundamentally the same but our platforms, our tools are the only things that have changed. The way we interact, the way we research, the way we learn, the way we communicate with certain things...that is the only thing that has changed. We...are fundamentally still the same people.
It has certainly changed the game in many ways. The gates have been lowered and I believe, it puts a number of things on level playing fields. @chrissy1988, you seem to imply that we can't define ourselves by knowledge because that knowledge is open to everyone? The way we utilize this knowledge has not changed. The way we gather it has.
"We are afraid that the changing dynamics of our social interactions will lead to dangerous and uncertain situations which we cannot make sense of."
-I am afraid you are right about this one but what a sad thing for this to be true. Remember your first middle school dance? Is that what the internet is like for people? These "uncertain situations?" Uncertain situations are often the most productive, the most helpful, the most lucrative, the most interesting, and the most entertaining. I really think, and hope, that someday we will look back at how people acted toward the internet and we will laugh at it.
"Google appears to be deindividualizing everyone and essentially creating a homogeneous society in which all individuals can essentially become the same. You can create a profile that mirrors that of your best friend, you can use applications that are an expression of your interests, which are the same as the person sitting next to you."
-Wait wait wait....GOD (evolution, science, whatever) deindividualized us! Have you looked around lately? We all look pretty similar. Ever been in a room where someone says something and everyone else says..."Oh I was thinking that too." Like it or not...We are already pretty much the same. I would in fact argue that the internet allows us to individualize ourselves more. When I look at two of my friends. They resemble each other much more than their blogs do.
And yes...there is a point to your fact that, on the internet, people can be whoever they want to be, they can change their identity. But who is to say that is a bad thing? If I am a shy, introvert but I have tons and tons of jokes that I want to tell...is it bad that I can find an outlet for my humour on the internet?
This brings up the question of personal branding. Now, personal branding has always been important. We want our employer, our parents, our grandparents, our relatives, even those who we are really close friends with to think a little bit higher of us everytime we see them or talk to them or they see you right? Why do people dress up for an interview? They want to impress. They want to change a little bit of who they are from their everyday. The internet simply allows this to occur at a larger scale. You are now not only seeking to change your identity for your boss but now also to millions of people who can see your identity.
Hey...and I think that's alright. That's cool actually. I am happy that I can make the brand that I want out of myself. Maybe people don't know that I love tea but I want to expose tea to the world. Fine. I can do that and I can do it easier.
Basically..my point is that people are not changing with the internet. Whatever people used to do in real life...they are still doing. Human nature (if there is such a thing...but I will still use the term. I am reading Hobbes and he would say nature is gone with language but anyway...tangent) exists everywhere...it is just expressed to a larger audience on the internet.
"We are, for the most part, walking contradictions. On the one hand we enjoy the pleasures and convenience derived from using the internet to accomplish our daily tasks which necessitates relinquishing private information but at the same time we label google as an evil giant that is attempting to collect this information."
-Last thing....not all of us are. Hehe. I love giving out my information. I send my resume, my phone number, my e-mail address, I spam my twitter, my facebook link, everywhere. I want people to see my content. Because....when I do decide to actually do something worthwhile, create the next "big thing", start a business, sell something...I will already have a huge network that can come check it out, give me feedback, etc. NETWORKING! Why are we so afraid of our fellow human beings in virtual form? I find it far safer to post all of my information online than to walk up and down a street.
*End Rant*