W5- Friedman & Postman
The author of “Technopoly: The Surrender of Culture to Technology.”, Neil Postman, was a chair of Dept. of Culture and Communication at NYU. From his background, you can smell what kind of perspective he will look at such as education. If you turn to the back cover of the book “The World is Flat.”, you will find the story that describes a conversation between a father and a child. The conversation is about how the whole labor market becomes so competitive and the components are cross the countries. Compared to Friedman, is it a warning? A warning to what?
Just take Postman’s words “All technological change is a Faustian bargain.” for example, Faust is a person who traded his soul to devil in exchange fro knowledge from the legend. Therefore, what Postman said is that what technologies bring to this world is to sacrifice anything to satisfy a limitless desire for knowledge or power. In my opinion, I cannot agree it all. However, it points out the impact to human beings.
Let me think this way, we all agree that technologies are invented by human beings and it is pretty hard to predict the changes. But what is the original purpose for the technologies: help people’s life or not? OK, I understand there are some weapons just for the political or religious uses and they are so destructive. Besides them, what does come up to your mind? Most of the people would respond the answer “help.” So if that is true, what are we worried about?
During my life so far, it is still a challenge for me to live in the global village. How come? Maybe you will argue that I am the generation of internet. No doubt, I am. “The World is Flat” means I can have competitors all over the world. In the meanwhile, it also means I can have many friends across the cultures and boundaries. No things are perfect. Just depends on how we deal with that. To me, Friedman explains the facts or the trends we are encountering in more optimistic way. However, I still believe even we live in the flattening world and have the equity in everything, we still have to pay attention to the tricks that technologies set.
Just take Postman’s words “All technological change is a Faustian bargain.” for example, Faust is a person who traded his soul to devil in exchange fro knowledge from the legend. Therefore, what Postman said is that what technologies bring to this world is to sacrifice anything to satisfy a limitless desire for knowledge or power. In my opinion, I cannot agree it all. However, it points out the impact to human beings.
Let me think this way, we all agree that technologies are invented by human beings and it is pretty hard to predict the changes. But what is the original purpose for the technologies: help people’s life or not? OK, I understand there are some weapons just for the political or religious uses and they are so destructive. Besides them, what does come up to your mind? Most of the people would respond the answer “help.” So if that is true, what are we worried about?
During my life so far, it is still a challenge for me to live in the global village. How come? Maybe you will argue that I am the generation of internet. No doubt, I am. “The World is Flat” means I can have competitors all over the world. In the meanwhile, it also means I can have many friends across the cultures and boundaries. No things are perfect. Just depends on how we deal with that. To me, Friedman explains the facts or the trends we are encountering in more optimistic way. However, I still believe even we live in the flattening world and have the equity in everything, we still have to pay attention to the tricks that technologies set.
posted by Mini @ 7:18 AM
2 Comments:
I think your point that a flattened world results in both more competition and more connection is very apt.
In a flattened world, I can have competitors all over the world. But I can also have customers all over the world. If people are able to have disposable incomes in other parts of the world through this flattening, then what is to keep an Indian from buying my product from America (that was probably made in China)? One could argue that cultural differences will make this unlikely, but I think a flattened world will also result in more cultural convergence. This will make certain products as relevant to an American as it is to someone in Asia.
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