Living with the Machines
The fascination with the future, the curiosity of the unknown and a world ran by machines has been some of the main science fiction elements that are found in different artistic works of the past. In 1980 the Minnesota writer Bruce Bethke coined the term "Cyberpunk." Ever since then many literary works with a theme of the future, science fiction and technology have been characterized as "Cyberpunk." In most of these works the future is presented as a times of chaos where the machines take over. The prediction of human beings becoming totally dependent on technology has become somewhat true. However, It is also important to point out the fear of a chaotic future has stayed more of a fiction than a reality.
Even though the future is considered to be a time that can never be reached, from a technological standpoint we can almost say we are living in the future. We don't have to look any farther than the functions of computers and other web 2.0 products to understand the place technology occupies in our lives. Information and transportation are one of the main important commodities of our time. And today more than ever, through the use of the Internet, those elements have become widely available. Instead of creating distraction and chaos, the introduction of new technology have presented new possibilities.
Today with the use of different new media technologies, people are able to be in different places at the same time. Through the use of cable or satellite technology people can communicate with many people at different corners of the globe. Another great breakthrough is the possibility of virtual travel. 20 or 30 years ago the idea of virtual reality was considered to be very futuristic. However these days, anyone familiar with Goolge Earth can take virtual tours of pretty much any country in the world. Even though the virtual representation cannot be a replacement for the real life, it still offers a very different perspective to idea of travel.
So it is safe to say we are indeed living in a time where society highly depends on technology in order to function. However, this transformation wasn't all for the worst. There are a lot of positive things that come with the development of various technologies. Just like many other things in life, there are good things and bad things that come with living in a high-tech world. As long as we keep utilizing technology for the greater good, the outcome will definitely be positive.