Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Is There No Escape?
In the prologue of The Shallows, Marshall McLuhan
says, “The products of modern science are not in themselves good or bad; it is
the way they are used that determines their value.” Some people look upon
technology as a corrupting, distracting factor taking over our lives that is affecting
the cogitation of future generations. However, technology has provided us with
profound, easily accessible, unlimited knowledge and increasing connections.
How we use technology determines if it has a negative or positive influence on
our lives. Nicholas Carr has referred to the internet as not only our servant,
but our master. Are we in fact in control of technology and its control of our
brains or do we have no escape of this medium, the internet? Has the internet
become the alternate legacy for a time-wasting tradition just as the “stupid
games” referred to in Sam Anderson’s article: “Just One More Game”?
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Our control of technology, such as the internet, is limited, especially to the minds of us teenagers. Some have the will to resist the temptations of the many social networks, but others are drawn to the ability of sending a message in one quick second. I believe that the internet controls us because of our human vulnerability, but then again, it all depends on the individual. It is safe to say that people invent to make life simpler and easier. In my opinion, the internet made our lives too easy, too simple. Many don't realize that the internet changes the way our minds work, forcing our brains to welcome and shelter the internet into our thoughts. In the middle of the first chapter, Carr shared, "The computer, I began to sense, was more than just a simple tool that did what you told it to do. It was a machine that...exerted an influence over you." The World Wide Web began as a new, enlightening invention, but it grew to be a controller, a dictator. It is possible to take charge in your own life, but the internet is clutching tight onto its newfound power.
ReplyDeleteThe internet has both its advantages and its flaws. Young adults in this modern age tend to depend more on internet access in order to get a grasp on information in a matter of seconds. I don't suppose that many individuals stick their faces in books for hours to grasp the same information that they could retrieve in a shorter duration of searching. The downside to internet access is all the opportunities that an individual could have in procrastinating. In this new day and age, we have so many various social networking sites, media sites, and many other various sites that can and will sidetrack a person for a very long time. This is why there should be a equal dependence on both books and the internet. This way, you can focus on the matter at hand, and finish them in a shorter duration of time.
ReplyDeleteI feel as though technology has brought with it a game of tug of war because we are gaining and loosing many things at the same time. Whether our losses are worth the positive effects of technology is still very questionable. For instance, modern technology has allowed us to receive information in a matter of seconds, whereas it would take much longer to go through the pages of a book. However, in return we are giving up our sense of patience and are demanding constant speed, and we are also loosing things such as our capability of cogitation or desire of reflection. I must also agree that the way we are making use of technology greatly effects these outcomes. In the epilogue of The Shallows, Nicholas Carr argues the possibility of us becoming so attached to technology that we will rely on it for "our understanding of the world." I think technology does seem to have such a strong hold on us with its irresistible appeals that it may possibly overpower us.
ReplyDeleteNicholas Carr's stern belief that the Internet is the master and its user being the servant is becoming an undeniable fact. The more that people continue to use the internet, the more our brain loses a part of itself, a lost potential. Every time we increase the time spent on the Internet, our brain deteriorates and becomes loses its ability to work harder. The part of the brain that we so often used before the creation of the Internet is becoming rusty and seems to be on its path to the state of being obsolete. Our dependency on the Internet is to the point where it is another “assisting hand”, but because of this, many of us are losing our creativity and identity. Yes, we have gained an easy access to much knowledge unprecedented, but we have also gained the access to many unnecessary functions, such as addictive entertainment or gaming sites, as a “side-effect” for its original use. However, if we try hard enough to stay away from the temptations while being an adolescent or teenager, we just might be able to escape being completely engulfed by the Internet, for the human brain is the most malleable during an adolescent’s or young adult’s stage of life.
ReplyDeleteI have to completely agree with Marshall McLuhan's statement in that modern technology is neither good nor bad because these new innovations have both their benefits and disadvantages. The Internet, for example, can help and hurt people. People who use the Internet to a great extent may be addicted or controlled by the Internet, relying on it too much. Those who are able to moderate their usage and control what they do online are better off and are using the Internet in a beneficial way. Other examples of modern technology that could be construed positively or negatively are modern weapons. Weapons can be used to protect one's country and one's home, or they can be used negatively by criminals or murderers.
ReplyDeleteI would also have to agree with Carr's observation that the Internet serves as both slave and master to mankind. Some people are able to use the Internet to their advantage without becoming addicted to it; however, others become completely absorbed in the Internet, spending their days online, allowing the Internet to become their own virtual master.
To answer your question, I do believe that we can control technology; however, it comes down to each individual to be responsible when they use technology. For example, people are responsible for moderating their time on the Internet and avoiding any addiction to it. I also do believe that the Internet will be our legacy, although not a bad one. I believe that future generations will appreciate the Internet and take control of it: becoming its master, not its servant.