The Argument of Neil Postman on Technopolis - Report Example

The argument of Neil Postman on Technopolis’’ Here Here Here Here Neil Postman (New York, USA 8 March 1931-5 October 2003) argued on Technopolis, and the role of Technology to our social and moral values in today culture, focusing on USA. Actually the word ‘’Technolopolis’’ in regard to etymology, derives from techno and polis, which means ‘’city’’ or’ town’’ according to its Greek root. This further means a city operating and based on technology. With the advent of world methods to achieve various objectives and goals are becoming more modified and systematic. In short society is moving towards age of digital fashion that is more developed with the thoughts to provide maximum benefits to human beings. In early ages of 18th century this development was much limited with construction and better reconstruction works. But with the passage of time it became more of an electronic era rather then human society, this approach gave a boost to highly develop technology and use it for ease of humans. Except of lot of positive reviews and lovers of electronic era this truth can not be neglected that it made humans rusty with the same ratio! And to enlighten this aspect of modern life Neil Postman contributed with a lot of efforts and different approach. In an interview he mentioned his views about the new technology when he was asked about the positive and beneficial effects on society especially of the Internet and Email. It’s true that technology has been advancing nowadays, too fast, therefore we are at an era of speed, where computers as well as everything that has to do with growing technology rules our life, in the frame of Technopoly, having a relative impact on all fields of today life, mainly in USA, but no one is basically responsible for this, and all we have to do is follow growth of Technology, as Technopoly contributes to financial growth and we just have to follow the stream. Technopoly is a reality and we have to accept it and adjust to this reality. Technopoly is a need nowadays. But we should not compromise our moral values, nor can technopoly replace them, or substitute them. Our culture has changed, and we cannot do something else for it, just follow the stream. But this may not mean that we prefer Technopolis or culture based on Technopolis, and destruction of our old culture with books and manual work. Technology should’t becomes a way of life as it is nowadays, but just a helping tool, tool of adaption and not adoption. "Most of our daily news is inert, consisting of information that gives us something to talk about but cannot lead to any meaningful action.” (68).1 — Neil Postman In our digital era, all fields such as knowledge and education are ruled by technology. Postman claims that our today culture satisfies its needs from technology, also taking its orders from it. We can claim further by analyzing this argument that technology functions in a way of pyramid whereas: On the base is culture, on the center is technology and on the top is multicultural and globalization, being as superstructure, identified with globalization and digital era with all consequences in the moral and social field of technopolis, which rules our life. Thus education is by ruled by technology, a new culture is formed throughout technopolis, and work is based on it. Technology may mean the end of education, as instead of reading a book of literature we prefer surfing on the Internet. USA in the past two centuries, thus from 1865 and hence up to the two last decades of 20th century and even more, had been a country with a grown population and too many immigrants. These people used to go there to work, in the dawn of industrial revolution, and when still USA was a state the development of which was based on agriculture initially. Then multicultural society was not only enhanced by technology, but it created itself the conditions for technology development and a further relative developed culture, that today rules technopolis and it is the center of it. When technology was still underdeveloped in other countries even Europe, in USA it had already known an important growth, deriving from local needs in all fields, and the working potential. Technology contradicts to moral values, thus destroying and undermining them, by creating another kind of work and business that has an impact on all sides of social life. . Also that those who love technology do not have a real esteem of the ‘’other side of the coin’’, ‘’believing that by all means calculation is superior to human judgment’’, and culture deriving from it. 2 According to Neil postman excessive use new technology has overcome human minds to that extent that it’s becoming more of a need then aid strategy for them. WASHINGTON — the emergency broadcast system is coming to cell phones. “This new technology could become a lifeline for millions of Americans and is another tool that will strengthen our nation’s resilience against all hazards,” W. Craig Fugate, the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said in a statement. [By EDWARD WYATT- May 9, 2011 Emergency Alert System Expected for Cell phones (category: Technology), NYtimes]3 In other NYtimes publications there is a call for Journalists to Rethink Their Online Models… [By BRIAN STELTER May 10, 2011]4 This is a very clear indication of increased involvement of society in modern technology explained by Neil in very descriptive manner when a presentator asked him, “Connect to the world we live in today, how technology influences our life (computers, phones, TV). What does Postman say about those? To which Neil Postman replied that, “The Internet may well be a solution (as you say), but of course, like any solution creates new problems-- for example, the absence of "gatekeepers" who are useful in separating the irrelevant from the relevant and even the true from the false. Moreover in his book, Neil Postman demonstrates the way that technopolis creates Man of Mass, leading conscience of children and defining their personality, so this might mean the end of education based on real knowledge and that feeds real culture and moral values. Technopoly is the center of interest of children, instead of creative reading and writing, and they have lost their innocence, in the same book. Ibid., 5 Children tend to imitate what they see and hear; Involved in Technopolis with technology, childhood is lost, losing their social drive of the past and getting away from moral and social values. Moreover, industry such as mobiles, have contributed to worsening quality of human contact and communication, as children and adults may spend their time by talking nonsense on mobiles, and using it as a game rather than tool! Also, other means of technology, such as TV, and brainwash to an extent, they get models of life in advance which they apply further in social life, and a special culture is created on basis of this. Childhood disappears, since all children watch TV, and they engage in Computers for playing, more than mere spontaneous way of playing and games according to their age and free development. Ibid., 6 Computers by being applied in school contribute to forming, personalities all the same, with less freedom in thinking and grow of personality of each child. Postman dealing finally with the book of George Orwell “1984’’, where the author makes some predictions for the future of humanity in terms of computer and machine.7 The way that the world is about to change with use of machine, and that digital era is destined to prevail, being the future of humanity., and destroying moral values, at least changing them to the worse, since everything is about to lose its human character, people also, within technopolis. The industry determinism, showed in the book of Orwell, is based on industrial culture, thus formatting a separate culture of nowadays, the digital one. The way of thinking, Is influenced by freedom in technology, which actually creates non free individuals. The art and knowledge of using machines, has a direct impact on the art of socializing, ruling our social principles, and sacrificing moral values, to the leading determinism of modern era. The whole political system and all fields of society are dictated by the way technology is applied, creating the new technolopolis a world of construction, rather than a human world of creation. Conscience of work labor and employees has changed overall, and keeps changing, and Internet has replaced inventiveness. And technopolis creates more passive thinkers than creative thinkers. By all means technopolis “costs a lot to human values and quality of life the way it should be. Even to defenders of technology the counter argument is that of course, technology has solved problems but also creating new ones, we should be able to cope with them and find further solutions. Thus technopoly just contributes to impossibility of solving new problems or delay in finding solutions, we just have to apply more, than think and feel, and technopolis defenders should take this into account. That instead of ‘’shaping technology, we are rather shaped by it, being servants in our technopolis this way.’’, and slaves to new culture. In his book finally Postman argues that technology lovers and defenders cannot conceive the dangers that lay in applied technology to such extent. Thus: “Not only technology is incapable of answering to crucial human questions but is barely useful in providing coherent direction to the solution of mundane problems’’. By no means, again, can technology replace culture and human values as in the past, restricting human mental development, possibilities of spirit, and vastness of thinking, also bothering human values from being applied, and spirit of humanism in society and social relationships between human beings. Machines may also take away from truth, and theoretical sciences, based on true research of deepening in to meanings and significances, as well, as enhance positive sciences and a pre-modeled and patronized way of research, giving power to authority, and removing domination from real authority by human existence. Technology may be a facility, and a tool but by no means, a way of life. References 1 Neil Postman (8 March 1931-5 October 2005), ‘’Amusing Ourselves to Death’’ The Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business (New York USA, 1985, P. 68). 6 Ibid., 133-152 5 Ibid., 99. 2 Neil Postman (8 March 1931-5 October 2005), ‘’Technopoly: Surrender of Culture to Technology’’ (Vintage Books, New York USA, 1992, P. 69). 3 Emergency Alert System Expected for Cell phones… [By EDWARD WYATT- May 9, 2011 (category: Technology), NYtimes] 4 For Journalists Call to Rethink Their Online Models… [By BRIAN STELTER May 10, 2011 (category: Technology), Nytimes] 7 George Orwell (25 June 1903-21 January 1950) ‘’ The Animal Farm in 1984’’ (USA, 1949), an aspect of new era and future of humanity. Read More