Technological Advancements

The assigned readings sum up the development of four technologies and how each impacts our world, and more specifically us as a society. The first reading which focused specifically on the telegraph was the most interesting piece. James Carey does an excellent job discussing the emergence of the telegraph, as well as examining the impact that it has made throughout its history. The most relevant point I believe he made in his essay was his statement on page 203. He says, “It is not an infrequent experience to be driving along an interstate highway and to be come aware that the high is paralled by a river, a canal, a railroad track, or telegraph and telephone wires. In that instant one may realize that each of these improvements in transportation and communications merely worked a modification on what preceded it.” To me this translates as technology is ever changing and evolving. What may have been the most efficient method twenty years ago may not be the easiest one now. Even when methods become obsolete is important for us to remember what technologies we have used, in order to adapt more efficient ones in our future. The second reading was from Catherine L. Covert and her writing focused on the effect radio has had on our society. Since there was only one page assigned to read I wasn’t able to fully understand her prose, but she did make some very valid points as to the effect radio has on our culture. Radio, although beneficial, caused civilians to overlook and simplify day to day tasks. When the Sabbath day came about people would leave their homes and attend services at the church, but with the emergence of radio it became common to sit in ones parlor and listen to a church service over the airwaves. Yet at the same time it created a distance for whoever was broadcasting over radio. In previous times one could receive feedback from the people that were watching and listening, where with radio there was no response from the audience. Also this lack of presence simplified the broadcasters stardom, people on the radio became a voice without a face. I have decided to incorporate the last two readings because each examines the effect of technological determinism. Raymond Williams and Ken Hill both analyze how modern technology has created a plethora of emotions about technologies existence. Williams explains technological determinism as an idea that technology is self engineering and society has to play catch up. Then with time new societies and human conditions are created by responding to said technologies. Hill rather than defining determinism goes into a deep explanation of how this view is wrong, and in order to correctly understand virtual reality (broadly encompassing electronic media) one much take the middle ground between determinism and social construction in order to see the benefits as well as the downfalls of modern technology in society.