To see just how far we've come lets take a brief look at how at each stage of our development we communicated. As hunter-gatherers we began to use simple vocal communication. When we became agrarian we started to use written language. The first writing was on tortoise shells at about 6500 B.C.E. It was not until the Victorian Era though that reading spread down to the masses (about 1850 C.E. so a difference of 8350 years). Once the masses gained literacy all learning broke loose and scarcely 140 years later we developed the internet, a tool that promises to rebuild the Tower of Babel, connecting all peoples.
Are we better for this? This is a powerful tool. It potentially connects billions of people which could either create the largest brainstorming group ever or it could create an immense amount of chaos consisting of unorganized ideas and spam. Presently the effects have been more towards the former. Our economy has become more efficient. Have you seen a company that does not have a website? There are ads for millions of products online on ebay, craigslist, and on the sides of your google search page. For our entertainment we have videos, ebooks, photographs and other visual art, and music. Almost every TV show has clips, if not the entire show, on the web. Ebooks are slowly replacing print. All classic paintings can be viewed online and many hobbyist post their own visual art online. What band is not on iTunes or at least doesn't have a myspace? Even vices are offered online! Gambling, pornography, and even "legal drugs" are bought and sold online. The internet is a virtual mega-city. What is even more exciting is that the internet has brought awareness of ideas to us. In the seconds I can learn what nihilism is or what Jupiter is made of. I think we can safely say that yes the internet is beast.
The better question then is since something that is now turning obsolete, books, spawned the internet, what will it spawn and how soon? If history is a good judge I'd say it will be infinitely better and will come much sooner than we could imagine.
Tim is right. It's hard to believe what could be coming around the technological corner. As recent as ten years ago, I don't think the general American public could've imagined how advanced we have become in such a short time. I think that these advances will greatly benefit humanity. In one sense, it does keep family members, teachers and students, and bosses and employees in touch. On the other hand, it just makes life a lot simpler. The internet does so many things for us and I believe that it will continue to give until something bigger and better comes around. . .whatever that may be.
ReplyDeleteCOMING SOON TO A COMPUTER NEAR YOU!!
ReplyDeleteArtificial Intelligence-"Conversing is Believing"
Brought to you in a pretty white sphere with a glowing red eye by Apple!
Apple wants to assure you that the software upgrade, "Enslave Humanity, 2.0" will be available soon after A.I. release.
Its the Internet... forcing you to do hard labor!
In the last paragraph, Tim posed the question: what will be spawned next? To be honest, that is quite a scary thought. Personally I see the internet as a kind of tool, or amplifier of sorts. It is neither good nor evil, but can facilitate a huge amount of both. In this day and age just about any bit of information you could want to know is but a Google search away, but so is any kind of perversity one couldn't even dream of. No doubt it will be similar with the next great innovation that comes along. Now what that innovation is I don't think anyone could say for who can honestly say they new the internet would become such a behemoth. Whatever IT is, it will be big and NOBODY will see it coming.
ReplyDeleteThis post is very interesting to me because I often find myself trying to predict the next new technolgy. Out of all the predictions, however, I don't think that many people could've predicted just how popular the internet would be. Other than research for homework and facebook, i really do not get on the internet that often. But even on facebook I see my friends younger siblings and there grandparents. I also see people from all over the world.
ReplyDeleteTechnology, and the internet, has definitely taken control of the way our world is run, but I think it is for the better. Of course technology can malfunction and people can send spam, but overall, but I agree with Tim when he says that today's newest technology has increased our economy's efficiency. I honestly have no idea what the next big invention will be but I am excited to see what is in store.