This week I had to read an introduction to the book "Natural Born Cyborgs" by Andy Clark. I enjoyed this reading. It was about the increasing role technology plays in all of our lives. Mostly the introduction talked about cell phones but it also talked about other forms of technology.
On page 4, Clark wrote, “The mind is just less and less in the head.” He had talked about how he had lost his laptop for a day and how he felt disconnected from the world. It was like he lost everything, when he lost his laptop. He also talked about how people feel disconnected when their cell phone batteries die.
Clark also talked about how “educationalists” fear the consequence of technology is doing the thinking of their human counterparts. I find this very true for me. If I don’t know what a word means or I don’t know how to spell it I can just go on the internet and find out. I find it easier to look something up on the internet than to think about it. I think that this could be a very serious problem if the continued rise of technology leads to a lowered state of thinking.
The last thing that I found very interesting is when Clark called a cell phone like a “prosthetic limb”. I find it amazing to see people using their cell phones to talk more than talking face to face to a person. I hate having a cell phone but I find it necessary. I was in the late majority (of getting a cell phone) in the bell curve because I didn’t think that I needed one. But now I don’t know what I would do without it.
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5 comments:
I found it really interesting that you were one of the late bloomers at havbing a cell phone. I had a freind from high school who came to UW firm on not getting one or ever needing one and just hated the notion of NEEDING one and i heard that he got one a year ago and almost not by will-- gave in. What made you decide to get one and find it necessary? On the rest of the response I'm with you the whole way on how interesting it is how were are so interdependant on technolgy. Staci, who is in our class, brought out his point that we were born a cyborg. I'm not so sure if I can accept that his notion is as true when I think about his perspective saying that we were born a cyborg and it could be because it bothers me that I don't have control or a say in that. -H-
I also find the oints you brought up about how we are so dependent on techonolgy interesting. My parents made the rule that we couldn't get a cell phone until we were 16. When I was 16 it was normal to wait unitl then but when by brother finally turned 16 he was the last one of his friends to get a cell phone. I think it's interesting how as the years go on the age of, for example getting a cell phone, become younger and younger.
I think that your points about relying on technology are very realistic and valid. Although I don't fully realize it at all times (probably because I am so used to it), there are some instances when I take a step back and observe all of the people with iPods and cell phones around campus that seem completely disconnected with the people around them. I would call this realization pretty alarming. In this way, I would say that most people, at least to some extent, are becoming cyborgs. Where do you think this is all leading and what do you think will happen in the future as techonology becomes more advanced?
In response to suave567, I guess that the main reason why I got a cell phone is just to feel connected with everyone else. I know that it may be a stupid reason but that is all I could think of. My mom runs a restuarant in my home town, so she wanted me to get one to so she could get a hold of me whenever she wanted. Another thing that I was a late bloomer on was an IPod. I actually just got my first Ipod four months ago.
In response to Becky, I totally agree with your comment about how we don't realize how much people really on technology. I think that the fact that we are so reliant on technology and that we don't realize it could become a problem in the future. I think that a lot of people are too reliant on technology. People have always made movies about when technology takes over, like "I Robot" where robots try to take over the world. I don't think that anything like that will happen in our lifetime but I think that as time goes on people will only become more and more reliant on technology.
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