Within class a recent presentation briefly discussed new technology becoming evident and used the 1984 Apple Macintosh commercial as an example of how this possibility could've influenced the technological life we live today. The commercial focused on the idea that much of the world was dominated by a 'Big Brother' through the limited access and usage that many individuals had with technology. This meaning that technology, specifically computers, were not user friendly and was used for specific types of businesses. The Macintosh desktop ended this domination that governments and corporations had over society, resulting in society being able to have control in what they want to use technology for. An imaginary of what the technology brings is an attempt to force the implication of the Black Box theory which Earn Richer mentioned to focus on technology being mandatory for there to be known socio-economic changes.
These changes resulting in a shaping of society through differing practices and patterns. An example could be the advancement of the internet or world wide web can allow for positive changes in how we communicate but as well bring negative implications such as security threats. This Black Box theory is now seen crucial to the way our society functions and advances, due to how much of our current technology can not only advance physically but as well bring other outcomes, both positive and negative. I believe the advertisement of the Apple desktop in 1984 to be a building stone to what we are exposed to in relation to freedom, control and capitalism with technology today. Any there any experiences which you've had that you've noticed the black box theory taking effect in society or yourself?
Technology has transformed and advanced our way of life and the tools we use, along with these changes both negative and positive outcomes have emerged. The Black Box theory, when technology is known to create socio-economic change, is prevalent within contemporary society. The Internet has altered many aspects of our life, one being the music industry. Music is now widely available to be downloaded online rather than being bought on iTunes or from a store. This negatively affects this industry and the individuals involved in the production process as downloading music is against laws and regulations. This drop in sales within the music industry has affected the economy as well as the methods of individuals retrieving music; these known socio-economic changes were derived from technology advancements.
ReplyDeleteThe black box theory is broken down between stimuli – transformer – responses (input then something happens to result in the output). I think that similar to the internet, smart phones work with this system for consumers. Nobody cares HOW their smartphone works and no one really knows why they want it/need it. It is all encapsulated in this black box theory in which we are told that smart phones enhance our life – we think about it and decide it is true so we buy one – then we actively engage with the new technology because of what we were initially told about its capabilities. Smart phones are an extension of internet and mobile phone technologies; we believe that it is necessary for us to obtain one to live our life to the full extent… but do we ever stop and think about why we need this device?
ReplyDeleteI agree with Kelsey. The black box theory definitely applies to mobile phones. To take this example one step further you can also think about the implications of having company paid mobile phones. Although it is treated as both your personal and work phone, your employer pays for it and likely has the right to log anything that you do on it. This contributes to the "big brother" argument. Similarly, work computers also work as a black box with big brother implications. When you work remotely from home, you will likely have to sign onto a VPN that makes you agree to be monitored while you are online. This would be logging how many hours you are on, how many breaks you have taken, and what activities are you performing. I also think that even when you are not logged onto this VPN, the technology is likely surveyed in some kind by the company. After all, you are working on their devices on their networks on their time and on their cost. They have the right to know what you are doing during these paid hours. Do you guys think that companies invest in logging simple day to day activities as a method of measuring productivity and costs?
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