Technology sure is a fickle thing isn't it?
I remember when I was in 8th grade and the first iPhone came out. It was unlike anything any of us had ever seen before. Now, the iPhone is a household name. Everybody and their mother has an iPhone. No, seriously, my mom uses emojis.
Technology moves at a rapid pace, at an unprecedented pace, and it is something that can be quite daunting when you think about it. Just think about how in the last few years, how much has changed. Phones keep getting smaller, lighter, thinner, faster, sleeker. It brings the question, how much is too much?
I am currently enrolled in a class that answers this very question. It examines technology at its core, and it evaluates how it is affecting our lives. There was a book written years ago titled, "Understanding Media," a simple enough title, but what was found within it was something that was far ahead of its time.
Written in the 60s by a man named Marshall McLuhan, an English professor, and philosopher of communication. He saw technology and what it was doing (and would do) before probably anybody. OK, well he was at least the first guy to write it down.
Marshall pointed out how media is an "extension" of our own bodies. For example, a car is an extension of our legs, a gun is an extension of our fist, the same way that Google Glass is an extension of our vision, and how a cochlear implant is an extension of our hearing and senses. McLuhan felt that the medium itself is the message. He scoffed at those who said, "It is not what it is, it is how you use it." McLuhan said, "The medium IS the message."
So what kind of information exactly was he trying to provide?
McLuhan said that these technologies are good, but they are extensions. They are unnatural extensions. There were many different outlooks on his work, some people loved it, some hated it, and most weren't sure. And it wouldn't be until decades later, and after McLuhan had passed, that he was seen as not a crazed lunatic, but a genius.
To myself, I see it as we should welcome technology, but still be wary. In today's world, we are seeing technology get smarter, more in tune to our own bodies, and just plain weird. There are now 3D printers that can actually print working human organs for transplants for people who need them.
Technology is a great asset to our lives, and the future of our world looks bright, but it is easy to see how it could get out of control. We need to welcome technology, but we also must be wary.
McLuhan's book is certainly a hell of a read, and this article by no means did it any justice. It is easily one of the best-writte books of our time, and a book written by a man that was much more brilliant than originally given credit for.
This isn't an article to scare those away from technology, but it is just a different way to look at it. But for now, we are fine until Skynet is constructed. Then we gotta cross our fingers.
