Technology Today Term Paper

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Technology

Neil Postman warns against a full-scale embracing of technology and technological advancement in his article "Five Things We Need to Know about Technological Change." While the author agrees that new and emerging technologies do not necessarily pose truly unique problems for society, Postman does acknowledge that technology plays an increasingly powerful role in the world. Technology affects all aspects of human existence, from politics to education to religion. Postman presents the "five things we need to know" to encourage a prudent and balanced perspective on technological growth. The first of his five adages outlines thee disadvantages that each technology brings. For example, automobiles pollute the environment and television has dulled many minds. Postman asserts that the most powerful and influential technologies often bring the deepest dangers. The second thing on Postman's list addresses the social injustices and inequalities that technology often evokes in a culture. The rich and powerful are usually the greatest beneficiaries of technological advancements, according to the author. Third, Postman states that technologies cause the formation of new prejudices and biases and can permanently alter a culture's worldview and ideology. For example, television and print media promote certain often unattainable ideals of beauty. Fourth, Postman acknowledges that technology does not exist in a compartment or a vacuum; rather, technology affects every aspect of a society. As an analogy, Postman describes how a drop of red food coloring in a glass of water does not remain a drop of red dye but instead turns the entire glass of water red. The fifth and final point that Postman makes regards the dangerous tendency to regard technology as something sacred, something mythical, and something that seems organic and natural.

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According to Postman, this worldview threatens to leave technological advancement completely unchecked. While Postman's five points may seem alarmist or techno-phobic, his underlying message is not to do away with technological change altogether. Instead, the author urges his readers to think more intelligently about the impact technology has on human consciousness and human society.

Postman's first point, that technological change is a "Faustian bargain," is particularly noticeable with automobiles. Cars have completely changed the character of our society and alter the way people view the world. However, automobiles bring enormous trade-offs. In addition to the obvious environmental disadvantages that the internal combustion engine causes, cars also lead to a lower quality of life in cities, unhealthy psychological attitudes, and an increase in sedentary behavior. People who depend on cars to get from point to point consequently get less exercise; many people choose to drive a few blocks from their home rather than walk. A culture that is becoming dangerously overweight and physically unhealthy cannot afford to ignore this drawback of the automobile. Moreover, people who feel they must have a car might end up getting into debt; in many cases, those same….....

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