Technology: Friend or Foe?

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Technology: Friend or Foe?

There are many differing opinions on the advancement of technology but there are really two main sides to the issue. One side is enthusiastic and ready for new progress and change, while the other side can see the value of technology but is more cautious and wary of the changes technology brings to society as a whole. These sides are simplified but useful for looking at the extreme ends of the issues in order to see the balance between the two. What is technology and why the fuss? Technology consists of something as basic as a calculator to something as complex as the newest secrets in military defense. Technology is applying the new and innovative discoveries in science to everyday tasks.

The biggest concern about technology expressed in a growing number of articles and books has to do with computer technology. People are scared of the many advancements in computer technology such as the internet and the World Wide Web. Currently, information capabilities are growing quickly with few regulations. Some of the dispute comes from misunderstanding but the other half comes from experience. Younger people tend to have a more liberal and open view about the advancements, while older generations have seen the fast paced changes in this world and are more leery and hesitant to accept new technology without caution. It is useful to look at the two main sides and evaluate where the arguments can come together to form a medium and balanced view.

In searching for arguments expressing hesitancy about the progress of technology one source is found through a man named Neil Postman. He is a well respected and accomplished professor and writer. Postman has devoted an entire book, Technopoly, to the subject ...

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... from and where it is going. From this wider perspective people can begin to understand the pros and cons of technology better.

Works Cited

Downie, Peter. Transcript from a TV-interview for Progress and Prophesy. http://www.myna.com/~davidck/postman.htm. 1991.

Lewis, Peter. "Anarchy, a Threat to the Electronic Frontier?" New York Times. 11 May, 1994: C1, C5.

Postman, Neil. Informing Ourselves to Death. Speech. http://www.uni-frankfurt.de/gnomic/postman.html. October 11, 1990.

Postman, Neil. Technopoly: The Surrender of Culture to Technology. Vintage Books. New York: 1992.

Turkle, Sherry. "The Human Spirit in a Computer Culture." The Second Shelf. Simon and Schuster, 1984.

Verity, John W. "The Information Revolution." Business Week. June 13, 1994: 10-18.

Wiener, Jon. "Free Speech on the Internet." The Nation. June 13, 1994: 825-828.

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