Pretty hilarious. Talk about the burning need to resolve ambiguity being taken to an extreme.
This reminds me of a story not too long ago about a sudden blackout for Blackberries. Here is a snippet from that NYT article on Aug. 19, 2007:
At some point we need to heed the cautions of Mumford, Winner and other medium theorists to heart: Do we wield technology or does it wield us?Stuart Gold was in Phoenix on a business trip when the service went down. Mr. Gold, the marketing director for Omniture, a software firm, noticed ominous red X’s next to his outgoing e-mails.
He is not proud of what happened next.
“I started freaking out,” he said. “I started taking it apart. Turning it off. Turning it on. I took the battery out and cleaned it on my shirt. I was running around my hotel like a freak. It’s very sad. I love this thing.”
11 comments:
I definetly think that technology has some sort of power over us. I recently had to take my computer in to get it fixed, and the entire time it was gone, I felt stressed just because I couldnt go on it. Not that I even had anything I absolutely needed to do, I was just stressed with the idea that I couldn't even if I wanted to. I have also had a computer since I was in 4th grade, I almost don't know what life would be like without one. The dependency of our culture on technology is huge. I don't think I am the only one who would feel stressed/lost without a computer, blackberry..ect. It really causes people to feel a disconnect from the world when they don't have access to the Internet. It's almost as if youre missing out on something if you can't check your email, facebook, cnn...or what have you. I definetly think that means this technology has a power over us, as it can effect our emotins.
I agree that mostly all people would have the same reaction to having no Internet. The South Park video, although obviously a little exaggerated, was a great example of how people reaction without the Internet. I have a blackberry and I know that when I stop working I have a similar reaction. I am become so used to having it and having my mail and Internet available to me that when I don’t, it is so hard to make the adjustment. I also know that people without a blackberry or iphone mock who have one. But they are very addicting!! I believe that today, people are so reliant on the Internet that they don’t really have a backup. One example that comes to mind is that that people, especially in college dorms and apartments, no longer have land phones but instead use their cell phone for communication and even as their alarm clocks. It is kind of scary because people rely so much on technology that if something did happen to go wrong with the cell phones people would not be able to call each other because land phones have become almost extinct. I believe that this dependence on technology and the Internet will just increase as many things come out (such as the blackberry). Without the Internet you feel disconnected from the world around you and may feel an inability to interact with others.
When I originally watched the episode, I definitely related to how Stan and his family felt when they couldn’t get the internet. When the internet is down in my apartment, I definitely feel lost. And instead of doing things that don’t require the internet, I spend my time trying to figure out what’s wrong and how to fix it. When the internet is down, I feel disconnected from the world. I use it to keep it touch with people, watch tv, get music, schoolwork, search for jobs…pretty much everything. I think the answer to the question “do we wield technology or does it wield us?” is pretty clear. Technology definitely has the power over us.
It’s really interesting to look back in history and think about how people survived without certain things. From the beginning, most pieces of technology that have been introduced were supposed to free up our time so we could do more important things. I remember learning in middle school that when the washing machine was invented, it was expected that it would allow woman to have more free-time, but instead, they just received more responsibility. Our parents grew up without the internet and cellphones. They had to make plans ahead of time and keep their commitment. They didn’t have the luxury of being able to call and say they are running late or won’t be able to make it. Today, some of our generation can’t even survive without their blackberry and getting their mail directly to their phone. With the introduction of each new piece of technology, our lives and habits change. And although we have been trained to think that this ability to be reached at all times is a luxury, we need to look at how we have become slaves to technology because of it.
When I originally watched the episode, I definitely related to how Stan and his family felt when they couldn’t get the internet. When the internet is down in my apartment, I definitely feel lost. And instead of doing things that don’t require the internet, I spend my time trying to figure out what’s wrong and how to fix it. When the internet is down, I feel disconnected from the world. I use it to keep it touch with people, watch tv, get music, schoolwork, search for jobs…pretty much everything. I think the answer to the question “do we wield technology or does it wield us?” is pretty clear. Technology definitely has the power over us.
It’s really interesting to look back in history and think about how people survived without certain things. From the beginning, most pieces of technology that have been introduced were supposed to free up our time so we could do more important things. I remember learning in middle school that when the washing machine was invented, it was expected that it would allow woman to have more free-time, but instead, they just received more responsibility. Our parents grew up without the internet and cellphones. They had to make plans ahead of time and keep their commitment. They didn’t have the luxury of being able to call and say they are running late or won’t be able to make it. Today, some of our generation can’t even survive without their blackberry and getting their mail directly to their phone. With the introduction of each new piece of technology, our lives and habits change. And although we have been trained to think that this ability to be reached at all times is a luxury, we need to look at how we have become slaves to technology because of it.
I thought it was interesting how after the Internet the next source was TV, print wasn't even a factor. I think this brings up the fear that new media will inevitably replace old forms instead of working along side of it. If we become so far removed from older sources of media and where we receive our information, will it kind of just become extinct? I think this is the fear of many papers today because even in the clip they showed how traditional news sources rely on the Internet to get their facts that we then get from them. Also, if we start to rely so heavily on one medium such as Internet, we're going to start training people how to do their jobs (ex. journalists) on that medium instead of giving them a wide range of training. And along the lines of everyone else, as I laughed at the clip and how ridiculous it was I can look back at several times when unfortunately I can relate.
The South Park clip and the blackberry story just showed, although at times a little exaggerated, that technology has way more power over us. If it didn't, obviously episodes of south park wouldn't be focused on the loss of internet and the subsequent chaos that ensues. I like what Brook had said about our parents generation getting along without any of the technology of today's society when they were growing up, but at the same time it got me thinking. Maybe we are so reliant on technology because it is what we have been surrounded by for our entire lives. We don't know life any other way. Our parents are now trying to catch up so they can relate to us with the budding technologies of today. So technology is beginning to wield them just as it has us for many years.
Sorry Brooke for leaving the "e" off the end of your name in my post. Sometimes I think faster than I can type. Sorry though.
I believe both exert certain powers over the other. Certainly for contemporary society, technology has become a driving force behind daily activities and the South Park clip just proves as an example of that. The use of blackberries and the Internet have become the replacement for TV, which was the replacement for radio, which was the replacement for newspaper.
See my point.
As much power technology wields over us, we have as much power because we are always striving to improve that technology. So going off that point, the strain we place on technology makes us empowered.
And another thing about the South Park clip, notice it was a kid who was able to figure out the problem. Perhaps pointing out how older members of society are ignorant about new technology.
Just a thought.
I believe that technology has a hold over us to some extent. Today, the Internet is used as a communication device, news source, entertainment provider...everything you ever want to do can be done online. So when technology malfunctions we feel lost and do everything in our power to fix or repair it until it is up and running again.
Another time I notice the influence technology, especially the internet has over my life is when I go on vacation. One would hope that they would take their time away from work or school to relax and disconnect from the corporate world, but in reality it stresses me out not knowing how many emails are sitting in my inbox or if a potential employer has attempted to contact me.
I think that technology has a very strong hold over all of us in society. I am currently stranded (for 4 going on 5 hours now) in the airport and even though I have a blackberry, I bought internet for the day. There are so many things we cannot do without use of the internet, including these blogs. Without buying the internet today in the airport, I would not have been able to get certain aspects of my work done for my classes. Although this South Park clip is exaggerated, it is not that far from the truth. I remember when I lived in the dorms freshman year and the internet went down, everyone went crazy. People could not check their e-mail or catch up on news in the way they knew how. As a society, we have forgotten how to live without the perks of modern-day society. As Alex stated, most of us would not be able to communicate without cell phones because the lack of land lines. When a person signs off their instant messanger for a long period of time, you wonder where they went and if they are on vacation somewhere. People now bring their computers on vacation or bring their blackberries because they cannot stand to be away from "important" emails. I think it is sad that in the future, kids are not even going to think to look to a newspaper to get information, but go straight to the Internet. When technology is not available, people do not know what to do with themselves. It used to be relaxing to be disconnected from the outside world, but now it just causes people anxiety. I most certainly think that technology has a great power over us.
I have an interesting story loosely related to this clip. Last fall, I left my phone in my boyfriend's friend's car a day before he left for Thanksgiving break in Arizona. He was gone for a week, and, as a result, I was phone-less. I freaked, especially because all my high school friends were back in town and I needed some way to communicate with them, but then it actually became nice not to have my phone permanently attached to my ear. I also stayed at my parent's house over that Thanksgiving weekend and they're old and have dial-up Internet... so if I wanted to get online, I had to clear a time slot of 10-15 minutes. It was an interesting, freeing experience, but I don't think I could do it for more than a week. I'm online at least once every couple hours and texting at least a couple times a day.
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