The primary thesis of Jones article is that the rapid change in technology advancement has ultimately changed our society and transformed our everyday lives. Jones has a good quote in her article that explains this when she says that, “these changes are not simply technical effects. They contribute to maintenance and change of culturally conditioned conceptual patterns in the larger cultural historical context” (51). Technology is constantly evolving every day and when these advancements take place it in turn, effects the way all of society manages their processes.
One of the historical examples that Jones gives when providing an illustration of her thesis is electricity. She states that, “electricity had been considered theoretically interesting but of little or no practical value”(51). By effectively harnessing the power of electricity over the years, we have been able unlock its true potential which has helped us speed up the process of technological growth. She then goes on to explain that through electricity lead the way to microcomputers and other technological advancements.
One of the biggest examples of Jones’ theory that I’ve seen at work in today’s culture is the dampening effect of people’s ability to communicate effectively with one another. No likes to interact in person anymore but rather its all over text and social media. If someone has an argument with someone, they no longer go up to the person and discuss the problem privately but rather blast it all over social media because their too scared to tell them face to face. Natalie Bencivenga, a writer for the Huffington Post, refers to this in her article Has Technology Ruined Our Ability To Communicate? as the “easy way out”. She states that, “we have forgotten what it’s like to confront our issues. It’s safer, more anonymous and less stressful to just text someone when making plans or to break plans…Its easier to break up via email than it is to look anyone in the eye and tell them it just isn’t working anymore” (Bencivenga,1). Everything that Bencivenga refers to in this article is so true and I’ve seen it over and over throughout my life as technology has advanced. People argue over facebook then act like best friends when they’re together or talk trash about a specific person over a group text but then has no intention of saying the issue to the persons face.
We have become so disconnected from one another as a culture and I truly believe that technology has caused this. I mean, how many friends on your facebook page could you really call up at 1 in the morning when you need help and would actually come to help you? Maybe 4 or 5 out the 600 of your so called “facebook friends”. We are losing that ability to communicate with one another on a personal level. I can’t even count the number of times I’ve been hanging out at a party and 75% of the people there will be on their phones rather than actually interacting with one another. It’s sad, and I truly fear for our society because from the looks of it this problem is only going to get worse as kids grow up with technology and never really learn the necessary social skills needed to interact on a daily basis.
Bencivenga, Natalie. “Has Technology Ruined Our Ability To Communicate?” The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 28 June 2010. Web. 26 Feb. 2014. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/natalie-bencivenga/has-technology-ruined-our_b_625302.html>.
Jones, B. J. (1990). Computer Graphics: Effects of Origins. LEONARDO: Digital Image – Digital Cinema Supplemental Issue, pp. 21-30.