While I was reading "The Acceleration of Tranquility" the August 2016 section, my first thought was working at home sounds like a good idea. After all, according to the sociologist Hochschild (who I've mentioned before), one of the biggest problems facing the workers in the U.S. today is not having enough time at home. The work such long weeks that almost all of their time at home is spent running errands, cleaning the house, shuttling around kids and other menial tasks without a moment to relax. The idea of a home office so fully equipped that you can attend office meetings and never leave your house seems like the perfect answer.
However, once I kept reading I started to become horrified. Is this really the direction our society is heading in? One point that stuck out to me was when the author wrote that things such as paper and doing algebra were obsolete. Everything is done instantly and by computers and you have software to control the software to control the software, etc. My first problem with this is somewhat obvious: the no algebra and complete dependence on computers. If people are forced to do basic mathematics by themselves they lose the brain power to do so, and aren't we supposed to become more educated as a society as we progress into the future? If we aren't doing basic tasks such as mathematics or writing by hand, our species will lose the ability to do so and then aren't we going backwards instead of forward. Also, my favorite part of reading is being able to hold the book and curl up. A computer, no matter how well it's made to stimulate it, does not have this effect.
If we're facing a future with complete reliance on computers and failed interaction with other people, our species will suffer. This is the ultimate misuse of technology. According to this excerpt, they even have virtual sex! (Which kind of defeats the purpose of it being an intimate act with another human being.) Technology that controls technology that controls technology can lead to bad things. In the excerpt, Mark Helprin describes an ARS technology that went rouge and built a golf course in Africa. If you've seen the movie Eagle Eye, it's the perfect example of technology that has the ability to run itself, which is a scary though.
Overall, in the present day we can only misuse technology as much as we like. We can shut off our computer when we go to sleep so that we don't get emails in the middle of the night. We can turn off our cell phones so that we can enjoy vacation. While we as a society thrive on new technology, do we really want to take vacations halfway across the world in "primative resorts" so that we can get a break from it all? And do we really want to lose the need for direct human to human contact?
And in case you haven't seen it, here's a trailer for Eagle Eye:
I really like the idea you put forth here. It's something I hear being discussed a lot; that we are moving in a direction that would make us more sedentary and less physically mobile. Wether it is because technology allows us to work and learn from our homes, or because the high price of transportation fill force us to remain closer to home, it is clear that the way we commute and work is on the verge of changing.
ReplyDeleteWith that being said, I share your concerns about this possible situation. Along with discussion over how technology continues to connect us, allowing us to communicate and work more effectively, comes talk of how we, as humans, need collaboration. We need it, it seems, not just to get work done, not just to innovate, but to survive.
This is something we will no doubt continue to discuss, and I myself cannot provide very good evidence towards this argument, yet. That being said, it will be interesting to see where this discussion goes.
I love your post. Hollywood horror movies about robots taking over mankind have obviously had an intriguing effect on society. We cant help but tempt the fate that we are so warned about in movies like iRobot, Terminator, or (like you mentioned) Eagle Eye. Our species feels the need to take technology to the most advance possible level, until ultimate control is lost. Our ability to control comes from our minds and that is what separates us from every other species on planet earth. If we do not maintain our intellectual teachings, physical and social activities, or innovative ideas, we will inevitably lose our identity as human beings. Thinking for ourself, not just by instinct alone, makes us unique. Therefore, I hope that human kind does not fall to robot dependence any time soon for that will transform man into an incompetent and lazy species.
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