week 3 - Questions Answered 01

respond with answers to three of Sammie Elvove's questions.

From Resisting Technology: Regaining a personal ecology - Ravi Agarwal 2003
1.) How has technology negatively impacted people? Why do we continue to use technology that puts certain groups at risk or at a lower level of living? 

In my opinion, one of the worst aspects of technological advancement is the idea that the society has now become entirely dependent on it. What this does is drive a large gap between the classes. It becomes "those who have the money to endure our technologically oriented society", and "those who do not". In more rural places less touched by the age of the computer, the poor may still build a living as their basic skills are likely the same as the wealthier. Whereas in places like America, basic skills are heavily made up of proficiencies with various aspects of technology. But if the less privileged population has no access to this technology in the first places, they will not be likely to have the same chances in advancing their economic status and hereby promoting elitism. But regardless I would argue to a certain point human beings are elitist by nature. We make thoughts through connection and comparison so it seems only natural to be driven to make ourselves the better of the two, we are inherently competitive.

From The Political Power of Social Media - Clay Shirky 2004
1.) I see how social media has amazing benefits of connecting us to one another, but isn't it also bringing us further apart? Are text messages and emails replacing everyday conversations? If so, this is  big concern socially since everything we do in life relies on the ability to communicate with others successfully

I would definitely agree that our obsession with social media is ultimately bringing us further apart. I think that the brevity of the texting and emailing conversations that dominates our day to day lives is the most dangerous part. Our attention spans and by extension, patience, has been so shortened by this habitual cultural that I think we are hesitant to place the same level of care and devotion to our personal pursuits and relationships both private and public. This in turn changes our perspective entirely as the emphasis on depth and complexity is switched to speed and perpetual motion.

2.) Is it fair that social media has such an impact on politics? Shouldn't politics be about cold, hard facts instead of who has a better Twitter manager or more creative internet ads?

I am in complete agreement with these arguments. It is something that I actually have really been putting a lot of thought into during this election. I think that four years ago I was not as immersed in the real world as I believe I am now through the college experience and didn't have much exposure to the political world as I do now. But now as my participation has grown, I have been stricken by how much Obama has relied on these networks that social media has built. It seems as if this may be a negative thing. People should be basing their decision on researched fact and speculation and not on one-liners from a poster or internet ad. Politics are incredibly complicated and tough to ever really grasp, how could any of that information be portrayed accurately through assorted and strategically placed slogans.