Well, I never really considered myself a blogger, but here I am... I don't really know what to blog about, so here are a few thoughts about the book Electric Dreams, by Ted Friedman.
I do agree with Friedman's overall argument (at least as so far as I understand it). In his final attack on the concept of technological determinism, Friedman correctly points out that technology is what a society or culture makes of it. The use or implementation of a particular technology is not deterministic but rather the result of how a culture embraces that innovation. Just ask Dean Kamen, the inventor of the Segway, what he thinks of this determinism. Before his invention was named, he and Steve Jobs routinely stated that the Segway (or Amber or It or whatever they were calling it at the time) was going to change the way cities were designed. In retrospect, that claim seems a tad overstated. It is still unusual and somewhat of a novelty to even see a Segway outside of Disney World, and that technology certainly has not changed the way people live in any meaningful way. Now if you will excuse me, I am going to publish my blog, set my Tivo with my cell phone, and Skype a friend who is vacationing on the moon.
I think that the idea of a "utopian sphere" is interesting but maybe a little too Star Trekkie. I love the idea of a public space with the free exchange of ideas, but it seems that maybe the reason that the informational hierarchy that existed before the internet was that some bits of information were better or more useful than others. It is great that every garage band with a laptop can essentially publish themselves by using the internet, but this doesn't mean that their music is worth listening to. Likewise, every crackpot (including the author of this blog) on the planet can publish their every musing on a myriad of web-sites, but honestly, how much time do you spend listening to what every crazy person that you meet on the street has to say? Is there any more validity to posting something on the internet than there is to just walking up and down the street screaming non-sensical thoughts as loudly as your voice will allow? It seem clear to me that some sort of normative hierarchy will always find its way into any new type of public space.
I do agree with Friedman's overall argument (at least as so far as I understand it). In his final attack on the concept of technological determinism, Friedman correctly points out that technology is what a society or culture makes of it. The use or implementation of a particular technology is not deterministic but rather the result of how a culture embraces that innovation. Just ask Dean Kamen, the inventor of the Segway, what he thinks of this determinism. Before his invention was named, he and Steve Jobs routinely stated that the Segway (or Amber or It or whatever they were calling it at the time) was going to change the way cities were designed. In retrospect, that claim seems a tad overstated. It is still unusual and somewhat of a novelty to even see a Segway outside of Disney World, and that technology certainly has not changed the way people live in any meaningful way. Now if you will excuse me, I am going to publish my blog, set my Tivo with my cell phone, and Skype a friend who is vacationing on the moon.
No comments:
Post a Comment