As an education major emphasizing in history content, I am well aware of the cliché that those that neglect history are doomed to repeat it. In a similar statement focused on the future of technology an unknown author stated that “the future will be the past, only with cooler toys.” While the merit and validity of both statements can be debated, one thing that is certain is that technology is continuing to advance at a rapid pace, creating the toys mentioned by the author. However, these toys are not completely innovative in nature. Thornburg (Laureate, Inc.) asserts that emerging technology seeks to rekindle and retrieve previous themes and ideas. Therefore, the past inspires the development of the future. Recalling the tetrad blog from the previous module, even in predicting the future of a technology one must analyze its past.
Communication has always been a driving force in the advancement of technology. Technology that promotes communication is a glaring example or how technology seeks to rekindle themes from the past. The evolution of communication is something to behold and has reached the point where time and distance are non-factors for those seeking to communicate. Before written languages were established and developed, communication was solely verbal and face-to-face. As languages were developed into written form, communication could travel both orally and in written form. While telephones, letters, and emails have furthered the development of communication by affording people the ability to communicate across great distances in short amounts of time, Skype has been able to rekindle the ability to communicate in a personal, face-to-face manner, with advantages that the aforementioned applications. The development of video technology and the development of information connections has afforded society the ability to see and talk to others instantaneously. While the technology or the idea is not new, the technology available has finally caught up with the idea.
Supporting this assertion that technology rekindles past themes, Kevin Kelly contends, in his video The Next 5,000 Days of the Web, that the World Wide Web will change in three important ways: embodiment, restructuring, and codependency. These three changes effect and will be affected by technologies. Skype for example is the embodiment of the human desire to communicate across great distances. As previously mentioned, humans have desired instant communication for ages and Skype is the application that embodies that desire. In terms of restructuring, Skype has transformed many practices in both the private and public sectors. Education has taken to the web via video conferencing technology and corporations have been able to dominate globally due to the ability to communicate. Naturally, Skype is a codependent application. Without the proper hardware, software, and access to the Internet Skype is virtually useless.
Thornburg, D. (Producer). (nd.) Rhymes of history. [Video podcast]. Laureate Education, Inc.
John,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your posting. Communication has come a long way throughout history. I actually miss the days when communication was face to face between two people. Even ten years ago when people used to write letters to each other. Receiving a letter in the mail always seemed so personal instead of an e-mail. I agree that communication has played a vital role in the development of new technologies. Good post.
Brian
John,
ReplyDeleteThat was a fantastic post and I enjoyed the video. I think it was great that you included the video so people that read your blog would have something to reference back to. I am like Brian, I have always enjoyed face-to-face communication. Skype allows for that across time and distance. Reading Brian's response made me thinking of being a kid and getting excited to receive something in the mail. Once you start getting bills in the mail, you kind of lose the excitement. Regardless, communication has evolved tremendously.