Author: prosynek20

In the book, Thank You for Being Late the author, Thomas Friedman, offers his unique insight on the IT Revolution and its advancements. One of the main points he makes in the book, is the claim that we live in what can be described as an “Age of Accelerations”. He uses this term to describe the exponential rate in which technology is created, replicated, and is innovated upon. However, as Friedman points out in the book, “…the accelerating speed of scientific and technological innovations can outpace the capacity of the average human being…Many of us can’t keep pace anymore” (Friedman 31). It is difficult in this accelerated era to stay up to date on the latest technology because of a variety of factors including cost, availability, and the ever increasing production of new technology. Therefore, technology will continue to accelerate, but society will never catch up. 

Friedman relates the term “supernova” to the concept of what we know as “the cloud”. The cloud is known for its various accomplishments regarding the amplification of human knowledge, access to information, communication, and the flow of ideas between them. Storage has become a big aspect in relation to the supernova because as Friedman mentioned in the book, as the cloud spreads to the hands of more and more people, the more data needs to be stored and the supernova will adjust accordingly. I think that the supernova has had an immeasurable effect on society today; it allows for efficient and effective connection almost anywhere on the globe along with storage of billions of files at the tap of a button.

In the book, Friedman makes the statement that we are “leaving the Holocene era for jobs”. He explains the numerous ways in which humans have altered the globe from climate change to deforestation. Friedman extends this in the way that humans are actually reshaping the world we live in and about to surpass the planet’s capability to sustain human presence. We as a society have given up hope on helping the planet, instead people are abandoning it to take up jobs in the technology and urbanizing the natural landscape of this Earth. I believe if we continue down our current path of disregard for the planet, we will no longer have one in inhabit. Therefore, technological advancements that are supposed to be making our lives better, are in turn making them worse.

Cyberspace is one of, if not, the only environment in which politics has little to no control over. The ideology of the internet is that it is to be open and free for all to use; this means that political control over it is close to nonexistent. However, Friedman brings up how people’s use of the internet things of it have led to the need for monitorization of it. If people were to keep in mind basic human decency when interacting online, things like hate speech and cyberbullying wouldn’t be as prominent as they are today. However, restriction and censorship are a sort of double-edged sword because increasing them means decreasing the freedoms of users. I think it is a tricky subject to turn into legislation because it is based heavily on opinion and has the potential to give the government too much power. 

Friedman describes nature as operating with its “killer applications”. These applications include the ability to adapt, specialization, and the ability to thrive on diversity. Friedman writes, “Mother Nature understands that the best way to evolve and advance the best ideas is to have a large pool of them…” (Friedman 304). This ability to thrive on diversity shows the resiliency of nature and its capability to withstand disasters. Although, nature has its own “killer apps” humans pose a huge danger to the status of the Earth and its resiliency. Overall, I really enjoyed Thank You for Being Late. It was an interesting, engaging read that offered valuable, unique insights into the effects of the IT revolution on our society. We are living in an accelerated era in which technology will soon surpass us all. 

It is undeniable that technology has greatly influenced how we go about our daily lives. Technology has changed various aspects of living such as, how we communicate, socialize, and simply interact with one another. However, despite the numerous technological advancements and innovations, the biggest impact technology has had on my life is the instant access to information technology like smart phones and computers provide.

With computers, the answer to any question is really just a Google search away. The nearly instant access to information using Google has redefined how we obtain information and learn new things. Tech like smartphones give us access to a cache of knowledge that not too long ago was only present in physical entities like books. This, however, has brought about many advantages and disadvantages. For instance, I have observed that having access to the answer to any homework question or worksheet is almost dangerous in terms of my education. The temptation of having instant answers at my fingertips has definitely dampened my perseverance and patience for difficult questions or simply homework in school. For example, often times I would find myself reaching for my laptop and reading SparkNotes of a book for English class instead of actually reading and deciphering the actual text. However, this can also be quite helpful. Websites like SparkNotes, when used alongside the actual text, can help enhance my understanding of the text and obtain a greater understanding of the text as a whole. GPS and Google Maps is another good example of how beneficial it can be to have access to important information in the tap of a button. Recently, I began an internship at a company in downtown Milwaukee, which is an area I am not familiar with at all, and I use Google Maps to help me navigate my way there which is a task that would be quite difficult if all I had was a paper map. Technology’s purpose is to make our lives easier, however it is difficult to recognize when easier turns into lazier. However, there are times when easier can simply mean better.

The most applicable of Kranzberg’s laws to today is his 2nd law in which he states, “Invention is the mother of necessity”. In other words, invention creates necessity, not the other way around. For example, the invention of the smartphone created the need for a plethora of various technologies to allow it to operate effectively across the world. Cell phone towers, phone cases, and wireless data are all inventions that were produced out of necessity because of the rise in smartphones. Cars are another great example of this. The invention of the car created the necessity of seat belts to keep passengers safe. Today, the pollution emitted from cars have caused for there to be a necessity for eco-friendly power sources like electric cars. This notion of Kranzeberg’s 2nd law relates to the theory of solutionism which is the belief that a problem can be solved with one simple solution. History has proved that a problem is solved with improvements and inventions, which in turn leads to the need for new inventions and the cycle keeps going. This shows just how relevant Kranzberg’s 2nd is today.

Although all of Kranzberg’s Laws have some truth regarding technology, I think his 6th law has the least amount of influence in technology today. The 6th law states, “Technology is a very human activity”. In this, Kranzberg is suggesting that technology can do many things, but very few on its own. I think this statement has little value to today’s technology. As we learned in unit 5, technology evolves on its own; humans  are not accredited with the advancement of technology. Also technology has gotten to the point where machines are creating other machines, no humans involved. In addition, artificial intelligence is an example of a technology that doesn’t need humans because it is designed to be a human. In all, technology can do some really amazing things and with each new thing will be a need for another piece of tech right along with it.

Amongst the most interesting of futurists in the world, is a man by the name of Robert Ettigner and his work poses the undeniably intriguing question: What if we were immortal? Ettinger’s life work centered around a process called cryonics. The term “cryonics” was coined by Ettinger in 1976 to describe a process he invented that involves immersing people in liquid nitrogen that has a temperature of close to -200 degrees celcius in order to preserve the human body and mind after death. Ettinger believed that death could potentially be a reversible process, therefore he began experimenting with cryonics to reach the point scientifically that one day people will be able to be resurrected. Since he proposed his ideas in the 1960s, Ettinger passed away and froze himself in a cryochamber alongside his first and second wife and his mother. To this day over 300 people in the U.S. have been frozen in their dead states. 

Furthermore, Ettinger’s prediction of achievable immortality can be evaluated by the success of the science of it. If his research and inventions are able to successfully resurrect a human from the dead, cryonics could then be considered a huge success. However, I think it would be a true success if cryonics could keep the body from degrading and if it doesn’t alter the person as a whole, including the mind. 

As we have learned throughout this course, technology often brings out ethical implications. Cryonics poses the age-old question of immortality and whether or not it is ethical. One dilemma being that if everyone can live forever, will people still have children since there is no need to further generations. Also if someone is unhappy with their life, should they be resurrected to prolong their unhappiness. Overpopulation and age gaps are both big issues that could arise in the possibility of immortality. It could also pose a societal and economic dilemma in the future of if cryonics will be accessible to everyone from all incomes, with it being such an expensive process it is likely that only the wealthy would be able to live forever. Although living forever sounds fantastic, I think that there are too many serious consequences that can result from it and therefore shouldn’t be pursued.

In our world where technology powers even the smallest of tasks, it is becoming more and more apparent that technology influences not just how we do things, but what we believe to be right or wrong as well. Technology like social media, the internet, and the other innovations of the IT revolution have altered the discussion on controversial topics and ultimately the morality of society.

Most people trust Google in a way that it provides them with the most useful and relevant results for every search, however what many fail to see is that embedded within these trusted search results is bias that is discreetly pushing forth certain beliefs. Search engine bias is just one example of the ethical implications surrounding technology. Search engines like Google are used by people to make informed decisions and opinions on topics, however it has become evident in recent years that search engines have been guilty of influencing search results. Therefore, it is almost impossible for people to make their own, unique moral decisions when the resources they use to make their decisions have already backed only one side of the argument. This is true because there is a human behind every machine. Thus, many times right and wrong is already determined for us by the moral compass of the programmers behind the various algorithms that are integrated into our daily lives.

Personally, I believe that social media has allowed me to make more informed decisions or opinions on topics by being able to research both sides of a topic. It is important to be aware of search engine bias because if you know it is there, you then know how to work around it. Words like “advantage” and “disadvantage” are key in discouraging search engine bias. Overall, technology has made a lasting impact on the ethical values of society today.

Despite the numerous impactful innovations and inventions of past technological revolutions, those of the IT revolution have been the most transformative in our society. Technology such as smartphones, computers, and the internet have transformed almost every aspect of society especially psychologically and sociologically.

Being transformative is not always a completely positive thing. For example, the technology of the IT revolution has drastically changed how humans interact with one another, thus creating certain psychological side effects. In our hyperconnected world, it is hard to pull away from the temptation of social media and the false feeling of human connection it provides. Psychologists have studied the effects technology has had on human behavior and concluded that although social media makes people think they are performing a sort of social act, they actually end up feeling even more alone. As a society, humans are becoming more and more reliant on technology, especially when it comes to relationships. Across the globe, people have begun to replace real human interaction with false virtual interaction which has left humans out of touch with what it means to participate in real social interaction.

Privacy is another aspect of society that has been transformed by the IT Revolution. Today, digital privacy is becoming more and more of a pressing issue in today’s increase of technology. It has become common practice today for companies to analyze and record user’s data or interactions with their websites in order to infer characteristics and personal information about those users. For instance, a few years back there was a case in which the popular store chain, Target mailed coupons for various pregnancy products to a teenager that had not shared the news yet. Target was able to achieve this certainly private information about the teen by simply recording the girl’s search and purchase history of products on their website. They were able to then analyze this data and come up with an accurate prediction of the teen’s personal situation. This example of companies obtaining personal data through people’s interactions online has become one of the most pressing privacy issues today. 

Technology and the IT Revolution have also done an immeasurable amount of good in the world. For example, SMS is transforming how we handle disaster relief. It allows for victims and people looking to aid victims to share information about location and other things in order to determine where the damage was most concentrated to then focus aid there. The IT Revolution and the technologies it has brought has made an incredible impact on human behavior, way of life, and simply society as a whole.

Over the course of the past 2,000 years, an immeasurable number of technological innovations have been established, and all of them impacted society in one way or another. However, impacting society and revolutionizing society are vastly different things. For something to be “revolutionary” it must cause a significant change to society. A revolutionary invention should drastically change various aspects of society such as culture, religion, social interaction, and a few more, but the main thing a revolutionary invention does is alter the way humans go about their daily lives. Therefore, out of the hundreds of computational inventions that have been created, the smartphone has been the most revolutionary. Smartphones have reshaped how humans communicate, interact, and obtain information.

The invention of the smartphone has greatly affected how humans go throughout their lives. As being a result of the telephone, the smartphone allows for people to communicate and connect in ways that were unimaginable a few decades ago. With smartphones, people are able to connect with people not only audibly, but visually and virtually as well. This interconnectedness put in place by smartphones, has changed everything from education to healthcare to even human interaction.

Human behavior is influenced by outside forces, and smartphones are one of the many things that affect it. Smartphones have started a sort of epidemic throughout the world. More and more scientists are talking about phone addiction and how it is changing not just our way of life but how we act. Since the development of smartphones, there has been a shift in overall human behavior. It is common today for people to be antisocial and take safety in their screens and despite the ability to communicate easier with the use of smartphones, people still are not able to interact in person.

Smartphones provide knowledge. With a smartphone, anyone can have access to an infinite cache of information at the click of a button. Smartphones have revolutionized the speed at which humans are able to gather information. Almost any question can be answered almost instantly which makes up the reality of our society. Anyone can learn anything. People no longer have to put in nearly as much effort in order to find the answer to a question or become a master at a skill. Smartphones have forever altered human behavior and the society in which we live.