Does Technology Affects Culture or Does Culture Affect Technology?

964 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Effects of technology upon the educational system

Culture is the unique set of beliefs, behaviors, and way of life of a group of people. Our culture, according to many, is undergoing a steady increase in the culture gap, and for the most part, their main target when seeking whom to blame is technology. Our culture drives us to pursue success and pleasure, complete tasks efficiently, and contemplate how to improve the lives of the generations to come and ourselves. These elements of our culture, these demands, the majority, are fulfilled by technology. In Robert Solomon’s essay, Culture Gives Us a Sense of Who We Are, he states “We are becoming a culture without a culture, lacking fixed points of reference and a shared vocabulary” and that “ ‘Television culture’ is no culture at all” (Solomon 426). Solomon is one of those people who blame technology, but the reality is that one chooses what makes up their unique culture. Most people, due to the competitiveness of the education system now a days, share the same culture of getting assignments done fast and efficiently, striving to succeed and therefore live a better life, full of pleasures, all of which is immensely aided by technology. Essentially, our culture affects the technology, not vice versa as many tend to believe.

The theory that culture is affecting technology and not the other way around applies not only to our culture, but also to other cultures, cultures that have their own unique beliefs and ideas. The technology around is a result of the beliefs and way of life of our culture. Take the manufacturing of cell phones for example; there are some “mobile phone manufacturers [that] have developed popular phones for Muslim users that support their religious practices by (1) reminding them when it is time to pray, (2) ori...

... middle of paper ...

...an Mind: Culture as Anesthetic.” Harper’s Magazine Apr. 2002: n. pag. California State University Bakersfield. Web. 4 Oct. 2011. .

Erard, Michael. “For Technology, No Small World After All.” The New York Times. N.p., 6 May 2004. Web. 4 Oct. 2011. .

Finin, Tim. “Does Technology Change Culture or Culture Change Technology?” Ebiquity Blog. U of Maryland, Baltimore County, 10 July 2006. Web. 4 Oct. 2011. .

Solomon, Robert C. “Culture Gives Us a Sense of Who We Are.” Reading Critically, Writing Well: A Reader and Guide. By Rise B. Axelrod and Charles R. Cooper. 2nd ed. New York: St. Martin’s, 1990. 425-29. Print.

Show More
Related

  • Analysis Of The Fashion Industry: Free To Be An Individual

    1411 Words  | 3 Pages

    Writing with Readings and Handbook. 3rd ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2013. 52-57. Print.

    Read More

  • cathedral

    773 Words  | 2 Pages

    Kirszner, Laurie G.,and Stephen R. Mandell., eds. Literature: Reading, Reacting,Writing. 8th ed. Boston: Wadsworth Cengage, 2013. Print.

    Read More

  • The Myth of Money and Success and That of Gender

    1845 Words  | 4 Pages

    Colombo, Gary, Robert Cullen, and Bonnie Lisle. Rereading America: Cultural Contexts for Critical Thinking and Writing. Colombo, Gary, Robert Cullen, and Bonnie Lisle. 9th ed. Boston: Bedford of St. Martin's, 2013. 377. Print.

    Read More

  • The Sacred Language of Toni Morrison

    1817 Words  | 4 Pages

    Fox-Genovese, Elizabeth.  “The Claims of a common Culture: Gender, Race, Class and the Canon.”  Writing as Re-Vision: A Student’s Anthology.  Ed. Beth Alvarado and Barbara Cully.  Needham Heights: Simon & Schuster  P. 1998.  15-23.

    Read More

  • Culture Definition Essay Definition

    1775 Words  | 4 Pages

    As culture is being learned and transmitted from one generation to the next, there is the question as to how it is being learned? And does it change? Banking on the simplified definition of (Samovar, Porter, & McDaniel, 2012) culture is learned through communication. This entails social interactions among people with common understanding of symbols, shared values and beliefs, and rules as a product of reciprocal information processing (Lustig, 2006).

    Read More

  • Extra Lives Why Video Games Matter Analysis

    857 Words  | 2 Pages

    Working thesis: The advancements in technology have caused the social norms of society to adapt to its rapid change, by becoming captivated to its simple access; which is effecting the way we communicate and act.

    Read More

  • The Manifestation of Death in Poetry

    1219 Words  | 3 Pages

    Kirszner, Laurie G., and Stephen R. Mandell. Literature: Reading, Reacting, Writing. Boston, MA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2010. Print.

    Read More

  • My Personal Culture

    990 Words  | 2 Pages

    Culture defines people’s values, beliefs, and personal interests. Culture is important because it allows people to maintain a unique identity society. Many cultures have common interests, while others may have customs that differ greatly from that of another. Technology has had a huge impact on present day cultures. Many culture have been altered including my own, and some have been created due to the rise of technology. Cultures differ so greatly that someone belonging to one culture may not agree with the values of another, which then causes social and ethical issues. My culture shares many similarities with others around the world; most of which have connected more people in recent years than ever before. Cultural gaps, and lack of understanding for peoples’ values and beliefs are significant reasons why cultures fail to understand one another.

    Read More

  • Argument Essay: Society And Technological Change

    450 Words  | 1 Pages

    The purpose of this section was to define society, culture and technology. Thinking of technology as a system wraps these ideas into a cohesive package. If technology is a system, specifically one that allows us to achieve goals, then it follows that society and culture interact with this system. For instance, in “Culture,” written by Joseph R. Gusfield, he states “The origins of [culture] lie in the concept of cultivation, distinguishing that which is grown under human control, [...] from the products of nature.” From this perspective, technology and culture are mutual necessary for each other to function. Without technology, a means of achieving a specific goal, there would be no way means of cultivation. Without culture, something that is transmitted from generation to generation, there would be no need for technology. Using the definition society from the powerpoint, “societal organization is an adaptive mechanism through which individuals cooperate to their mutual benefit,” we can interpret society as a guide of technology. Supposing a society at one point in time values profit above environmental protection then they will use manufacturing techniques which produce more at the expense of the environment. In other words, the values, beliefs and norms of a society shape the technology and culture it uses and perpetuates.

    Read More

  • Are Smart Phones Affecting American Culture

    1080 Words  | 3 Pages

    According to Dr. Kim-Ju, culture operates on many levels emphasizing a dynamic system of rules (Kim-Ju, 2014). Culture shares attitudes, beliefs, values, and behaviors through the concept of cultural transmission (Kim-Ju, 2014). The definition of a smartphone is a mobile device that has been combined with advanced computer functions for business and casual purposes. According to the Merriam- Webster Dictionary; a smartphone can be defined as a cellular telephone that has added functions such as e-mail, an internet browser, and the capability to run and download applications. The evolution of the smartphone has a clear ratchet effect; an idea that modifies and improves with different individuals and with time, growing

    Read More

  • Is Technology Helpful Or Harmful To Society?

    1592 Words  | 4 Pages

    “Technology is supposed to make our lives easier, allowing us to do things more quickly and efficiently. But too often it seems to make things harder, leaving us with fifty-button remote controls, digital cameras with hundreds of mysterious features.” (James Surowiecki) Whether or not is known, technology has become too heavily relied on. It is replacing important social factors such as, life skills and communication skills. While technology is created to be beneficial, there must be a point in time where we draw the line. Once face-to-face conversations begin to extinguish, this means that there is too much focus on the “screen culture”. In her writing, “Alone Together”, Sherry Turkle talks

    Read More

  • Technology and Social Change

    336 Words  | 1 Pages

    Today, Americans are faced with the increasing change of technology in our everyday life. Sometimes the change happens and we do not realize how it affects our lives. I think it is always a good idea to talk to someone that is older than yourself, like your grandparents to remind you of the times in their younger years. Hopefully, that will open your eyes to the changes we face in this generation and the generation to come. In this chapter, the author explores the relationship of changing technology to changes in both the environment and social institutions.

    Read More

  • Does Technology Yield More Harm Or More Good In Our Lives?

    1537 Words  | 4 Pages

    But in the use of the term “technology” today, there is far more associated meaning than automobiles or washing machines. It has ushered in an entirely new way of working, and in increasing numbers of organizations, increased options of just where work associated with a particular job will be done. More employees than ever have the option of working at home yet still being employed either full...

    Read More

  • Technology: The Impacts Of Technology And Culture

    893 Words  | 2 Pages

    Culture has been a part of our society, and way of life, forever. It is almost impossible to come up with an idea that isn’t influenced by culture.  As new technology is introduced into a society, the culture reacts in a positive or negative way and is thus changed forever.  Despite the fact that we cannot really ignore that there are a number of ways in which technology negatively impacts our society, for the better part it has greatly helped to make lives better. It has also helped us a great deal to be able to save on many resources such as time and money and these are great benefits that cannot be ignored. It has also worked well in bringing unity into the world by turning it into a global village which has in turn helped people to more easily overcome their cultural, racial and continental barriers. Like we saw in the case of Ireland where technological advancements have shaped and molded the country into a completely new one that is better than the one it was before. Technology is made and used in such a variety of ways because many people who use the technology of today come from all walks of life and have different necessities, so to compensate for that technology must adapt to all different cultures. Consequently, as cultures change so does the technology they develop. Ultimately, advances in technology directly affect how cultures evolve, complex interactions are all the result of the dynamic and perpetual relationship between technology and

    Read More

  • Culture And Cultural Diversity

    1258 Words  | 3 Pages

    Culture. As a society, we’re surrounded by it every day, whether we are aware of it or not. It affects what we do each day and how it lives our lives as everyone, everywhere has their own culture, their own set of beliefs and traditions that shape them, their actions, and the environment around them. Because of cultures large role in the lives of people, culture also has a large role in human geography. But there are lot of questions surrounding culture, like what exactly is culture, why are their differences in culture and what arises from those differences, and how exactly does culture interact with society to shape someone’s worldview? It is in this essay I will be answering these questions.

    Read More

More about Does Technology Affects Culture or Does Culture Affect Technology?

Open Document