As time went on, the purpose of technology changed from mere survival to making life’s tasks easier and faster. As an example, let’s look at some images that represent the evolution of cooking methods.
Above: These tools/methods for cooking were not extremly efficient, but they got the job done.
As these methods of cooking evolve, they get much quicker and much easier. Instead of starting a fire in a wood burning stove, all one has to do is turn on the oven and wait. The microwave is even faster than the oven at heating up food. Finally, the George Foreman grill is not only quick and easy, but it is small and portable.
Now that technology is about more than just survival, it has become almost addicting. People always want the newest technological gadgets and toys. Many of these technologies are created for leisure. Things such as big-screen televisions, computers, and gaming systems are examples of new “leisurely� technology. In my opinion, it is this type of technology that causes the biggest problems and has led to technopolies.
In Neil Postman’s article Technopoly: The Surrender of Culture to Technology, Postman tells the story of Thamus and Theuth. In the story, Thamus believes that Theuth’s idea of the written word would ruin education and negatively affect the learning styles of mankind. Despite Thamus’ opinion, the written word is the most respected form of education today. But now, a new technology is taking over; one that competes with the written word: television. If Thamus thought that the written word would ruin education, it was nothing compared to television. Television has reached the point where it has become a technopoly, especially in America. Nearly every American household possesses at least one television. Before television, reading was viewed as a leisurely activity. Although it still is for some, many people, especially students, view reading as a chore. Why should one read when they can probably rent Hollywood’s version of the story in a motion picture? In my opinion, even educational television programs can never be as educational or as personal as reading is.
An excellent book...
...but will kids read it when they can watch it all on the big screen?
I’m not suggesting that technology is always bad. Many new technologies have impacted our world in great ways. One example is the computer; can you imagine life before the computer? Today’s computers can be used for socializing, shopping, researching, and much more. They make almost everything more convenient. So what’s the problem? What if computers do what the written word did so many years ago: take over classrooms. Would this take away from the teamwork and group activities that today’s schools stress?
Nobody wants their child to live and learn in such an impersonal atmosphere. But can it be prevented? With all of the good things that computers have done for us, the desire for more and more technologically advanced computers continues to grow. As computer technology continues to increase, we can’t expect it to stay away from education. At this rate, it is likely that in the future, classrooms will have a computer for each student and learning will take place over the computer. This would completely devastate every part of education that we value today.
Is this what we want for the future?
