The article “Myth and Cyberspace” by
Vincent Mosco explores myths
about technology, he states that they do not meet the expectations we have on
reality and the newest developments do not mark the newest way of life;
moreover they are a fabrication of the truth. The myth here lies in the fact
that new developments are noted to change the world and have a large impact on
society, which is a false reality.
Do you agree
with Moscos view? Looking at an iPhone or laptop, we see little change with
newer versions, although these new technologies have changed the behaviour of society, these developments have not had a larger impact on the way we communicate. However, the
Internet compared to the radio has drastically changed the way we communicate; it
brought us from a one-to-many means of communication compared to a many-to-many
means of communicating.
What other
technological developments have been portrayed as having a larger impact on
society, in reality they haven’t? Do believe that the Internet will remain
the most important development or will a new technology emerge?
While updates to technology such as the iPhone do not have a huge impact on society, I do think that some brand new technologies do disrupt the way we do some things in society. Advertisements for the iPhone such as the one we watched in class try make people believe that their updates are innovative and majorly change the way we communicate, creating a false reality because as we talked in class a lot of these huge impacts are not actually true and it is all in the clever wording of their statements that lead us to believe this.
ReplyDeleteAt the moment I still see the Internet at the most impactful development, however it is very possible that new technologies will be just as important or even more so. As mentioned in another post 3D printing has been argued by some that it might have a larger economic impact than the Internet. Another technology that is being developed and improved is wearable technology which has the potential to change the way we learn and perform various activities, blurring the lines between reality and the virtual world even more than it’s been done in the past. An example of such wearable technology is the HoloLens by Microsoft. Imagine the possibility of interacting with holograms in our every day lives. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKpKlh1-en0
Here is another interesting video of wearable technology and how our interaction with the world can drastically change: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJI8tNG1rbQ
Mosco’s beliefs that myth lies in the notion that new developments are noted to change the world and has a large impact on society, is a false reality. When looking at newer versions of popular communication technologies, like the Iphone, small changes to how it functions has been improved. However, these small changes have not changed the notion that communicating via using data and being online is very present in today’s society around the world. Communication technologies that stem from use of the internet will continue to shift and permit faster, more efficient ways to communicate between person-person relations, corporations, government and more. Therefore I do not believe that the internet will remain the most important development since communication technologies are constantly being assessed and re-evaluated. It will take time for the next major category of communication to come about in this globalizing world.
ReplyDeleteOn another note, when discussing technological developments being portrayed as having a large, influential impact on society, I immediately think of medical technologies like advancements in research and development for cures and remedies. There are several medical technologies such as the application and newer versions of biomedical engineering. Therefore this has had a large impact on society in the sense that life expectancy and overall health has been improved where the national economy permits so. Medical technologies and communication technologies will continue to be critiqued and challenged of its efficiency in our world that is broadly dominated by capitalism. Competition between nations for who can solve particular, pressing issues pertaining to a variety of technologies helps technologies be developed in order to change the world while having a large impact on society.
In regards to Mosco’s position regarding myths I do agree that much of these new technological developments that society is exposed to are false. We’re constantly given information that was deemed to be ‘new’ while in reality the difference was limited. I believe this comes from the novelty of a technology being able to ware off from the many previous technologies that they stem from. For example, much of the new laptops and smartphones are seen to be a myth because they’ve progressed from so many other versions. To continue on Diana Tudoes thought of acknowledging that not all technology like 3D printing creates these myths of ‘new and improved’. I wanted to continue to mention that a possible reason for this is because we as a society have not yet encountered a 3D printer. So for example, previously new ink printers were seen as ordinary just as the new iPhone generations are because of their commonality. While the advancement of 3D printing is new resulting in there no longer being a myth. But rather there will be a large impact on society as a result of our lack of experience.
ReplyDeleteI feel like there are two parts to this question that need to be answered. First off, Mosco touches on the subject of communication through technology not being real. I disagree with this, communication is the exchange of information; therefore the verbal exchange of information is no more authentic than sending a text or e-mail. The second part I understood from this question is that little change is made with newer versions of new technologies yet they are made out to have a large impact on society. I agree with this, often companies make small changes to their new product however market the product in a way that makes the consumer feel compelled to purchase it. Apple does a good job of marketing Apple products as a lifestyle; if you do not have the Apple product you are not of a certain social class nor are you up to date.
ReplyDeleteI believe that this definition of myth is exactly what Apple is able to survive off of. Regardless of the generation, all of their advertisements are based on the concept of innovation, and the fact that one new device can entirely change your life. With the fun music and versatile locations, Apple uses less than 60 seconds to show people that a mobile phone will bring them a new found happiness, and make almost every aspect of their life more pleasant and more efficient. If we didn't have this concept of myth in our lives, people wouldn't buy into new technology. We would be satisfied with one piece of technology performing one common goal. This is not the case.
ReplyDeleteLike Claire and a few others have mentioned, corporations use myths to sell their products. This is not revolutionary.
ReplyDeleteI think in your question you make a category mistake by assuming new versions of a phone or laptops are comparable to the internet. The phone and personal computer did revolutionize the way we communicate, newer versions just innovate the technology. Just like ARPANET revolutionized how we communicate. The newer versions of the internet have not been as revolutionary, but they have been innovative.