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by Fred C. Wilson III
February 16, 2012
“Technology owes ecology an apology.”
-Alan M. Eddison-
In the previous edition we discussed social commentator/critic John C. Dvorak’s views on techno-abuse:
Balkanization: Reader did you know you can watch sporting events, read, watch TV, cable programs on 1,000 channels and work the Internet all at the same time? The raw power of modern communication technology is immeasurable.
Exaggerated sense of importance: With communication between persons and countries so swift via the Internet, some people tend to exaggerate their sense of self-worth. If they’re lowly ‘pawns’ in their waking lives technology enables them to play the king/queen behind their keyboards. If you ever entered an online chat room or read message board comments you’ve noticed there are certain individuals who pretend to know it all and flaunt their lives and views over others. These people curse and ridicule posters who just want friendly conversation. They like to parade their supposed ‘intelligence’ around the WWW. Since chat rooms and message boards are global, you can imagine what pretensions must enter their self-centered little heads. These people are living proof that the mind indeed is a terrible thing to waste (motto: The United Negro College Fund).
Sense of slavery/dependency: Ordinary things like outdoor cooking, camping out, wilderness survival talents, and other outdoor skills that once made humankind masters of our universe are being lost due to our over dependence on technology. We’re slaves to the machine which is why ‘survivalist’ and back to nature groups are springing up like mushrooms in a field after a long hard rain.
History Lost: We must turn back to the second divide in human history when society-in my opinion-fell apart; the infamous 1960’s the start of the New Age Movement. With the advent of electronic record keeping, material once preserved on hard copy is being stored in computers. Books are being rapidly phased out. Electronically stored stuff is okay but what if on line saboteurs, terrorists, hackers, and other unscrupulous computer savvy individuals/groups access and delete all or certain ‘undesirable’ records? Human history in part or in its’ entirety will be irretrievably LOST FOREVER! The dystopian fictional movie Rollerball made viewers painfully aware that history can be altered or deleted at the whims of capricious/malicious individuals/organizations.
Technology can be addictive but there is help for techno addicts. I can’t list many helpful sites. I have provided you with ways and means to locate them. Please search the Internet under technology addictions for other valuable web sources in addition to the four I’ve listed below:
The University of Rochester’s ‘Restart Wilderness Program at: www.netaddictionrecovery.com has an excellent program
‘How to tell if you are addicted to technology’ by Clara Maskowitz at www.livescience.com.
‘Techno Addicts Young Person addiction to technology’ by Andrew P. Kakabadse, Nada K. Kakabadse, Susan Bailey, Andrew Myers at: www.signalpress.com. PDF download 23 pages.
‘Is Technology producing a decline in critical thinking and…’ by Patricia Greenfield at: www.sciencedaily.com/releases…/.
The high priests of technology have accomplished much. Many adherents of this new religion believe we’re living in the Age of Aquarius. Technology has evolved into a religion replete with rituals, prophets, a lab coated priesthood and ‘commandments.’ Many new believers have turned tech stores, game rooms, and Internet cafes into temples of the new religion. They’ve replaced churches with chat rooms as outlets of popular spirituality. Case in point: I want to you STOP READING this and go to your search engine and type the words: ‘Mage the Ascension’ and select Wikipedia or some other version of this computer game-cum-religious-rite then take things from there. Article space is very limited. Please read this at your leisure to see what I’m saying. Will you do it? A lot of people have replaced the real God with the golden calf of technology; this is not good my friend not good at all. We all know what happened to the ancient Israelites when they worshiped that calf of gold.
Things are so screwed up nowadays that even Atheists are having a hard time keeping abreast with new technological advancements/thought. There’s a website that bear serious examination but it comes with a WARNING!! I strongly suggest that ‘iff’ (if and only if) you’re well versed in Thomistic natural theology that you enter this serious atheist-related website. Why Thomistic instead of Biblical; because non-believers don’t care two bits about the Bible. You gotta’ ‘hit’ those good folks from a scientific angle using a Deistic approach. St. Thomas Aquinas is the best person I can recommend. The site/source is: ‘…Technology as Religion’ by Austin Cline at; www.atheism.about.com; a lengthy article but a summary is available. Have fun.
If my Filipino family/friends are indications of the fondness of Filipinos for techno toys, Fil-Ams are no different from about 1/3 of the American population. It’s not right to single out Fil-Ams and other Asians as chronic abusers of the art of gadgetry despite what some popular media outlets say. I think most of us are techno-junkies to a varying degree.
I believe most of us would concur that technology benefits global society. Think of millions of lives saved through computer dispatch technology, those little computers doctors used to keep tired hearts pumping, CAT scan machines to identify diseases previously undetectable to be better able to cure the sick, my writing this article using my PC, flat screen television, the personal computer, those little hand-held b******* that always have a habit of popping off at the oddest moments, and the myriad number of ways in which modern technology has steadily improved our lives.
I’m always fond of repeating what my 1st year high school teacher and long time confessor/friend used to tell our religion class: “It’s not the use of something that makes it evil but the abuse.” Fr. W said this decades before talk show hosts transformed Americans into a nation of whiny victims. Bad technology makes life miserable. Nuclear weaponry, the abortion machine, and black flag warfare are examples of abusive technologies. Our magical machines are blessings and curses. It all depends upon how we use or abuse these marvelous mechanical gifts.
Next edition of Philippine Adventures we’ll continue discussing science related topics. ‘Mars Base One-colonizing the planets’ will focus on humanity’s dire need to be about the business of space colonization in order to stave off the very real possibility of planetary extinction and the part all Filipinos play. Till next time God be with you, your love ones and drive carefully.Then again, this answer might help you…
Technology is good because it provides society with faster and more efficient methods for a variety of purposes, such as communication and research. Technology can provide growth and advancements for the population, helping with things in our everyday lives!
Technology is good because it provides society with faster and more efficient methods for a variety of purposes, such as communication and research. Technology can provide growth and advancements for the population, helping with things in our everyday lives!
Technology is good because it provides society with faster and more efficient methods for a variety of purposes, such as communication and research. Technology can provide growth and advancements for the population, helping with things in our everyday lives!