I began my research with digital technology in the hopes of finding information that would show how dependant our society has become on it. I soon found that in order to tell about the current technology I would have to, at least briefly, explain the history of digital technology in order to set up the foundation for where we are now. After finding that digital technology stems from ancient times and doesn’t necessarily require electricity (some forms of ancient digital technology include Morse Code, Braille, a beacon and an abacus; which is an old but accurate form of a calculator.) I decided to take another route.
With artificial intelligence, we are now on the verge of a new era, a time where our computers can adapt and think for themselves. One should be concerned when the dependence on a single device is so great that without it all forms of communication cease to exist. At what point does our technology and innovation go too far? At what point do our innovations become more valuable than the innovators themselves? At what point is our dependence on the abilities of these new devices greater than the abilities that we ourselves possess?
About seventy percent, approximately five billion people, of the world’s population own a cell phone. More recent statistics show that the number is closer to ninety percent and almost six billion people. Communication is on the rise, but the form of that communication is ever evolving. There was no such thing as texting on a cell phone twenty years ago. Today, on average, there are more than two hundred trillion text messages received by mobile phone users in the United States alone. That is more than the amount of emails that are received in a whole year in the U.S. In 2010 Americans spent almost fifty million dollars on mobile devices. That number is projected to skyrocket to almost two billion by the year 2015.
In an age of technology and innovation, media is finding its way on to anything with a screen. Books are now being converted to digital formats to take advantage of the rise and popularity of the personal tablet. Publishing has taken a new face in the world of personal computing. More and more authors are taking advantage of self-publishing deals that allow them to profit like never before. Traditional forms of publishing are quickly fading in every industry. Music has been at the forefront of digital exposure since Napster crashed on the map in 1999. It’s no secret that iTunes leads the market with the ninety-nine cent per song standard. Now films and television are adapting to the demand of streaming accessibility with companies like Netflix and Hulu. HBO is getting in on the evolution with its HBO GO service.
And I could go on. All of these statistics and information is to show how dependant we have become on the technology that we have created. Granted it is a wonderful time to live in with innovations thought impossible only twenty years ago, it is frightening to think that all it would take to induce chaos would be the flick of a switch. One accident of melt down or power failure that caused the whole network to fail could potentially be catastrophic. If there were a power failure that stretched down the entire East coast, the madness that ensued would be unimaginable. I don’t know anyone, outside of an office, that owns a landline telephone. When Playstation’s network is shut down because of hacking or maintenance, there is a huge uproar in the gaming community. Television has yet to see an instance like this, but I believe it is only a matter of time. If the plug were pulled on any technology that we are all now so very dependent on, where would that leave us. The debate over print vs. digital is a scary one to me. The information in digital form is only valuable if you have the power to access it. A book is a book is a book. If you have the book, that is all you need. If you have the newspaper, that is all you need. If the battery in your phone or tablet runs out, or if the electricity that powers your television and cable runs out… there is no information. History has proven how important information is. Generations of information were lost when Conquistadors and monks burned countless books of the Mayan civilization. What little information that is left of the Mayans has proven to be of stunning accuracy and relevance to our culture and society. The interpretations and explanations of the information has been the subject of many a debate.
How we move forward with the use of technology will be vital in our survival as a society. I can’t help but think of films like iRobot and Minority Report or THX 1138. Even Moon and 2001 Space Odyssey can be troubling. Technology is an amazing thing that we should not take advantage of. The publishing of books in a digital form and the breakthrough in film quality digital cameras give an amazing opportunity to artists all over the world. Access to arts that were not there only a few decades ago. My worry is that, although old and traditional, film and print are permanent and non-dependant on outside factors. As long as they are protected they will last ages into the foreseeable future. I support the innovation of technology and it’s use by the masses. I just worry that the dependence of these innovations can spell disaster for an age that doesn’t know how to survive without them.
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