I am a true believer that information is freedom. Being "in the know" has never steered me wrong in anything that I have done. Our class is providing us an avenue to think critically about how technology is changing society in both positive and negative ways. People from generations past have warned us to be critical of anything new that enters into society. This is not saying that we should be a primitive society, but rather be a critical society in what we chose as acceptable. There is no stopping evolution in the sense of society, but there is a way to decide which way we want to evolve.
We no longer come from a society where we "stop and smell the roses" as Stephanie posted, but rather we are a society needing "instant gratification". It is up to each person, to stop long enough to decide what WE want, and then do it.
Liz commented on educating society more on technology as there seems to be a lot of fear around it,(Sorry Liz your blog won't let me post) and I agree. I think information is the key to anything. If advertisers started advertising technology more as a tool (apple is starting to do it) and less as the next new fad, then the hesitant buyers may be less resistant to it. I think Liz that since we're educators, educating society seems only natural. The more information you have, the more you are in control to decide what devices come into your home, if at all.
Also in Preet's wiki (Preet, your site also doesn't let me post), I don't think that there is anything wrong with wanting IPhone 5. I say this because you are "in the know" and you have decided that you still want it and that's where the freedom comes in! You have decided what is right for YOU! It is not up to anyone else to decide for you and tell you what THEY think is right or wrong or what you should or should not have.
Let's face it. We are living in a world much different from Heidegger, McLuhan and Ellul and we need to do what is right for us. We should not however, disregard their wise words as they still apply today and will for many generations to come, but at the same time, we need to be cognisant of what impact those decisions will have on future generations.
What a thoughtful post Louise! I like how you tried to integrate all of our comments.
ReplyDeleteI too believe that information is freedom. To me it is really what distinguishes a 'free' society from one that is oppressed. But what is the quality of that information and how much information is too much information (see my tweet about the new Facebook)?. I think Turkle really hits it on the head when she talks about our need to reclaim privacy as a valued commodity. It was shocking to me that Mark Zuckerberg can claim that 'privacy is no longer a social norm". I agree with Turkle that we need to help the next generation value and appreciate their privacy and as you 'tweeted' Louise, we need to help them learn to be alone without being lonely.
Thanks for the great dialogue and I hope your power is back on. I really felt for you not having any morning coffee! I can live without my technology, but my coffee??? I don't think so!!
Hi Louise,
ReplyDeleteI agree with Theresa, it was clever how you commented on each of our posts and related them to each other :)
Yes, I also agree that we need to ensure we make informed decisions when it comes to technology and that if we want something that is out there, get it, and embrace it! I admit that I use my iPhone quite regularly, especially due to the myriad of apps I have acquired.
However, to quote the popular proverb "Everything in Moderation", we need to ensure we don't get too caught up with it (as that is easy to do). And while it's true that these technological philosopher's never lived in our time, how can we take what they are saying and apply it, it still pertains to us. We can take what they are saying and learn from the past and apply it to the future.
Hi Louise,
ReplyDeleteWhat a great blog entry. Freedom.. you got me thinking.
How much freedom is good? How about people living in communist countries with limited freedom. Do you think their lives are way worse than ours?
Now replace the word freedom to information. I think the answer would be the same.