What a tech-ade
It was New Year’s Eve 1999, and no one needed to tell me that new media technology was changing my life. I had a good first-hand indication of that by simply looking around my university office and noting what a strange place to spend the year’s best party night.
I was in Memphis at the time and, instead of joining the revelers down on Beale Street, I was nursing my computer through the dawn of Y2K and the cyber-War-of-the-Worlds invaders that could be poised to strike its hard drive.
A systems operator for a large utilities company uses a special red phone to talk via radio to field workers during a Y2K drill at company headquarters in Newark, N.J., in 1999. Fears were rampant that a Y2K bug would wipe out communications a decade ago. The fears were unrealized. (AP Photo/Mike Derer)
What a waste of time.
No invaders struck that night; not even the building’s cleaning crew who were probably down on Beale Street enjoying B.B. King.
What did I know, though, on this first night of what was to be the decade when virtual reality changed our daily — and nightly — rituals.
I wasn’t the only one wasting that night away, though. People a lot smarter than me thought something huge and scary would happen this night, and a lot of people were pullilng overtime to nurse their computer systems through the night.
Even the White House had spent some $50 million of our tax dollars to set up a crisis room called the Y2K Center, just to be on the safe side. Our money might better have been spent on a project like the federal Office of Education once rolled out when it spent $220,000 for a “curriculum package” to show college students how to watch television.
Our foresight seldom matches our hindsight, however, and while we misjudged the Y2K threat, we just flat didn’t see other media tech changes coming. How’s this for a partial list of just three changes we’ve witnessed in this first decade alone, and of how these inventions have altered our lives:
Take Me to Your Tweeter. While some of us were getting our toes wet in the virtual world of relationships that chatrooms and online dating sites offered by 1999, we were only like the Pilgrims standing on the easternmost shore of a vast, unexplored continent. Up ahead were the vistas to be opened up by trail guides to be called MySpace (launched in 2003), Facebook (2004), and Twitter (2006). Individually, and together, these three sites have given new meaning to the late Marshall McLuhan’s provocatative observation from the 1970s that human beings go outside to be alone and stay inside to be with others. McLuhan was thinking about the amount of time Americans spend with television, but he realized that the “others” weren’t necessarily real flesh-and-blood people you could reach out and touch. We’ll return to this concept in detail in future posts.
The Sound of Music. The culture of the Internet is not only openness but also immediate satisfaction: There is so much we can get (often for free) almost the minute we recognize our desire for it. I’m thinking music here, and I’m remembering the frustration of losing albums, tapes, and CD’s containing favorite songs of earlier times. I’m also thinking about the challenge of searching for those songs in old record stores and the utter joy of stumbling across them when I least expected it. That frustration — as well as that joy — are a part of an age where music downloads over the Web didn’t exist.
Steve Jobs unveils a new 60-GB iPod in San Jose, Calif., in 2004 that sold for $599. The original iPod, released in 2001, had 5GB. Today's iPod Classic has 160GB,holds 40,000 songs and sells for $249 or less.
It was before Shawn Fanning and Napster; before Limewire, Kazaa, I-Tunes, and Bearshare, and YouTube. Apple would invent its first I-pod in 2001, other manufacturers would develop myraid other Mp3 players, and today we have our favorite music when and where we want it. For music-lovers like me, that’s a definite improvement. But I do miss those unexpected finds in the corner record bins of those vintage record stores.
It’s a Small, Small World. As 2000 dawned, most of America was still using desktop computers. Laptops like IBM’s Thinkpad were out there, but they were expensive and the learning curve hadn’t permeated the country like it soon would. Before the decade was over, we had not only switched largely from desktops to laptops, but we had also downsized from laptops to hand-held computer/phone/PDAs like BlackBerrys and the iPhone. Now the Net goes with us, and we can pull it out of our pocket virtually anytime we like. Wi-Fi has enabled that, freeing us from the Ethernet cable and that archaic phone cord that I was still looping from room to room in my dial-up days as late as 2004. All this mobility means we can now isolate ourselves from real people anywhere we are. I suppose the ultiamte tech-savy date today has a guy and a girl sitting across a table from each other at the Cheesecake Factory, mute to each other but tweeting another soulmate via their Blackberry or iPhone.
I’m not sure what Marshall McLuhan would make of that. Would this be a virtual date or a real one?
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Comments
Yes–Kristin, that’s a perfect example of that electronic revolution theory from McLuhan. Since watching his videos, I can’t tweet or text without thinking of being “disembodied.” McLuhan also said electronic media allows us to be “disembodied” because we have a voice or written and spoken word, but no image–no person to look at, to have face-to-face conversation with. Twitter, Facebook, Internet, radio and phone communication all allow us to be in many places at the same time and have many conversations at the same time, all with out realistically being there. That fits perfectly with his observation that people go inside to be with others. And why not? (Some might argue.) We can!
McLuhan’s quote “With every innovation there must be amputation.” fits very nicely here. In this case the amputation is our willingness and ability to communicate the old fashioned way.
A recent example of this in my life was when I posted some furniture on craigslist. I listed my phone number and specifically requested to be “called.” I received only text messages with unrealistic offers and embellished excuses. Would those same individuals have low balled me had we been on the phone or face to face where I could have shown insult or responded with disdain? Social media has hardened us into forgetting the person on the receiving end of that text or email is actually a real person that has feelings and is capable of being offended.
McLuhan’s comment that “American’s go outside to be alone” seemed to fit so perfectly with American life. With everyone being connected and fixated on television. Now, I’m not so sure if this theory still works, because we carry the internet in our pocket, it is always with us. I’m using the internet and social media in my car, while standing in line, and while I’m having lunch with friends. With technology and communication permeating our homes, cars, and offices I don’t know where American’s can go to be alone anymore? I guess we do have the option of leaving the phone and ipad at home when we go out.
McLuhan once said “a pervasive medium, a pervasive environment, is always beyond perception.” The virtual environment — whether it is social media, text, or even online gaming centers — for relationships is so pervasive, so second-nature to modern adults and adolescents, that it is impossible to be in a constant state of awareness related to it or even to recognize it as odd.
I agree with both Kristin’s and Justin’s assessments about the physical separation caused by virtual (or “electric”) communication, and I agree that some degree of a person’s humanity is stripped away when interaction is conducted through the barrier of a computer or cellphone, as suggested by Justin’s Craigslist story. This may lead some to believe virtual contact does not hold the same weight as in-person contact. In the same way that taking classes online is just as valid as taking courses in-person, I think virtual contact and communication are so common today that they can be legitimate ways to build and maintain relationships. I think individuals may have to work a little harder to break down the barriers built by their physical separation, but true understanding and camaraderie can certainly be achieved.
The world of technology has changed so much over the last decade and I don’t think that the negative effects of this progression have truly hit us yet. As you mentioned, the amount of time we spend in real relationships with one another is slowly shrinking and is being taken over by the amount of time we spend “virtually” interacting with one another. I think the decade we’re in now, is definitely going to be an acclamation period, as we adjust to our new technological lives.
When I think about the progression of technology in the past decade, it’s astounding. I still remember getting our first clunky cement-gray desktop with Windows ’98 or something or other. My mom’s boyfriend helped me setup my first AOL account since that was how we could access the WEB. At the time I waited patiently for the eeee-uurrr-chuuushhh that meant we were connecting. Fast-forward ten years and I am getting my first iPhone. The idea of waiting more than a second or two for Internet connection at the touch of my finger is preposterous. I’ve already forgotten what it was like to wait for dialup and get easily angered because I can’t be connected that second. It reminds me of how dependent my generation and I have become not only on technology but also on the need for instant and constant digital connection. I have friends that tweet and text and ‘like’ while we try to have in-person conversations, and sometimes it’s like they’d prefer a digital interface to in-person communication. I’m also guilty of this. Why call my mom when I can send her a quick text or picture of what I’m up to? Although this ‘tech-ade’ is great, it’s encouraging isolation and selfish interactions. I have to constantly remind myself, “When was the last time you actually spoke to your grandparents?” This new tech-ade both frightens and astounds me.
This does not surprise me that technology has revolutionized the way social culture interacts with each other. I remember the Y2K scare as well as my first IBM computer with CompuServe. I think that there is a constant danger having the internet so close at hand all the time. I think that we as humans rely more on social media than we actually hang out and build quality relationships. I do not think McLuhan would disagree with what you have posted. I feel that as the years go on, we will be more connected with the net and rely on this form of communication even more.
I remember the Y2K panic. I was in 8th Grade and everyone at school was hoping that the computers would crash so that the teachers would lose all the information pertaining to our grades. Very different point of view from the adults. I also believe that the government did spend a lot of money on a “crisis team,” however, if soemthing would have happened and there had been no such team, people would have been mad just the same… I was 10 years old when I first used a computer. It was at school and all we were allowed to use was the “Paint” program, where we were allowed to be creative and then hit “print.” When you got your printed creation, it was unbelievable. After that my interactions with a computer came from playing ‘Where in the World is Carmen San Diego’ and Oregon Trail. 6 years after my first interaction, my mother took us to goodwill and we purchased a very old computer, with a very big monitor and console. But it was awesome. Now, I have a laptop that is 1/8 the size of that computer, and wifi allows me to take the internet with me. And even better, wifi allows for more entertainment (and more distractions). Either way, I’m glad I won’t be here to see the year 3,000. I feel like someone is going to panic about something technology related.
I hear lots of complaints about “kids these days” who spend more time on Facebook or texting than they do interacting in “real life”. Ironically, this complaint is often repeated by the very college students accused of living in a virtual reality. While I agree that the widespread access to technology and social media of the last decade has some teens converted to catatonic texting zombies, we ought to think forward and see the new virtual reality for what it is. Advances in technology and social media – specifically sites like Vimeo, YouTube, Indiegogo, and eBay – give access to a whole new group of filmmakers, musicians, and startup companies. And our exponential growth in technology makes the world a smaller place. Just last week I Facebook chatted with a friend from Cambodia, and shopped at a Japanese computer store. Say what you will about the state of technology in our society but shopping, making music, starting businesses, and making friends seem like the “real world” to me – even if it’s not the same world it was ten years ago.
I remember my parents preparing for the Y2K. I laughed about it in a funny yet “we are going to die” kind of way. My parents had two elderly retirement homes at the time and our home. They filled large trash cans (like the waste management kind you place outside your home) with water, like if we’d never seen water in our life again. It makes me laugh even more now, but it’s funny how much we took the Y2K news so serious and with precaution. I don’t think McLuhan would differ on this subject matter. In fact, I’d say this is a virtual real date if that is possible. As time goes on, we set dates, plan activities and communicate via our iPhone or computer/social media sources. Communication is done, but not in real time. It’s in a virtual and non-facial context. We rely on this technology to make it through the day. I can think of several times where I have turned around to go back home to get my phone because I accidentally left it behind. It keeps us going and it’s a wonderful mechanism we’ve been given, but it’s also cut emotion and facial communication. We continue to increase technology and its capabilities; I wouldn’t be surprised if one day we live like the Jetsons.
The advances in technology have made a great impact on the way our current society communicates with one another. As it was stated, the new mobility of our media devices gives us the ability to completely isolate ourselves from coming in contact with other people personally. Personal, face-to-face communication is becoming more of a foreign concept to our generation. We rely on devices such as Facebook, Twitter, and text messaging to communicate. These devices and their functions serve a major role in staying connected with those we wouldn’t otherwise communicate with on a daily basis, for example a relative living on the other side of the country, however, these devices also limit our social skills. It will be interesting to observe the changes in our generation’s face-to-face social skills and see if a decline in such skills exists.
McLuhan’s idea that American’s go outside to be alone was dead on. I’m not sure, however, that it remains so. I do not know if American’s can go anywhere to be alone today. Even if we go outside, we usually have a cell phone with us, which has most of the abilities that a computer does. If we leave our phones at home, many of us feel useless. So perhaps the conflict is not can we be alone, but are we comfortable being alone?
It is so interesting to see the switch from the internet as being something to fear just 13 years ago (Y2K) to the present social dependance that most currently hold on it. But, I think what we should most fear now is our losing our “flesh and blood” relationships and instead spend our time “investing” in our virtual ones. I always think about what it would be like in a world without cell phones because I really do not know a life in which people are not bound to their phones. To make plans, contact employers, keep in touch with family, check email, Facebook, the weather, these were not concerns just 20 years ago, but now I’m unsure of how to live my life without it or how the world would continue without it.
This summer, I did an experiment and spent one week without any electronics, no laptop, telephone, or even an ipod. I was surprised at how frustrated I became when communication was constricted to only face to face and attaining information required actually going out and finding either a book or an expert. I had lost the “immediate satisfaction” benefit of the Tech-ade.I thought back to barely 6 years ago when I had never heard of Facebook. Flash forward to this summer, I was struggling without it as if it were my fourth basic need after shelter, food, and water.I was almost disgusted at myself for how much I had let technological advances become not a convenience, but a necessity.
After my electronic-free week, I felt refreshed. I now try to live with the mindset that while technological advances are great and beneficial, there are dangerous side effects. The main one being McLuhan’s observation that we go outside to be alone and stay inside to be with others. I do my best to appreciate technology for the help that it is and embrace the benefits of living in such an advanced time, but I also want to remind myself not to let it distract me from the value of a real face to face conversation with someone. I strive for my time outside to be with spent intentionally with others, free from technological distractions, no matter how tempting and convenient they may be.
At the time, these new wonderful technologies where something that of the future. People were so excited about having these online personas to hide behind so that they can portray themselves differently. Now its hard to think about life and society without all of these social networks and the internet as a whole. I feel like McLuhan’s idea that people go outside to be alone and inside to be with people is very accurate. Though as we progress, with practically mini computers in our pockets, it is harder to be anywhere or do anything without having some form of contact with other people.
Many of us take advantage of the easy access to nearly all things media. When we want to hear a song, we look it up on youtube. If we want to watch a movie, we log into Netflix. Things such as these has become so easy and available right at our fingertips. Although this is nice, it is easy to forget the value of these things. It’s as if music and media used to be sacred. It was for those who had money and were willing to spend the time searching and learning this technology. Now, anyone has access and these things begin to, in a way, lose their value.
I can recall the Y2K bug like it was yesterday. Many were terrified that computers would crash and the world would virtually end. Some were so fearful that I remember seeing on the news people packing up food, clothing, and all other necessitates just in case the world would “not compute”. It’s ironic that the same thing just happened about a month ago, the world was supposed to end in December. Well at least we know we have been right about one thing the past 13 years, we aren’t good at figuring out when the world is ending. Well I know one person who knows!
Who would have thought that we would have come so far since the Y2K scare? I may be the only person I know who have never had a Facebook or and Ipod. It’s not to say I do not appreciate or take great pride in the advancements we have made today, I think I am just stuck in a place in my life where I enjoy the personal connection I feel when I talk to someone face to face. When that is not possible, over the phone will suffice, but I would rather have that verbal connection with someone and find out more about them that way, then through pictures and posts. I am by no means either not agreeing with people who have them, each have their reasoning and they are all valid and meaningful, but I just choose not to.
I hope that as we venture into new world that technology may take us in the next few years, we hold on to the value of personal communication. The opportunity to talk to someone face-to-face takes conversations to a deeper level of insight I don’t know if we get from different outlets. I believe we can take the new advances that we hold dear and combine them into our lives in such a way that it is beneficial and not a means of living.
My mom always jokes about how one day, married couples from our generation will be sitting across the dinner table from each other and texting the person, “How was your day at work, honey?” It is inevitable that technology is taking on new significance in the lives of people who are willing to give it a chance. What was once an “unexplored continent” is now familiar, and if it ceased to exist, our lives would be drastically different. Vivian explains on page 42 of his book how digital technology has brought great efficiency to almost every single aspect of our lives. Without it, information would have to work a lot harder to be heard. As Dr. Willis said, the Internet is successful because it caters to the need of immediate satisfaction, and oftentimes with no cost. I don’t have to pay a fee every time I log onto Facebook – It is a free service that I get to enjoy, as long as I’m willing to look at a few ads here and there.
As the years have progressed and the media has converged, the digital nature of the internet have dramatically changed the way that we see the online world today. Messages through social media networks have been amplified to new degrees and the ease of accessing information and ideas have changed the attention span of humans around the globe. However, by many individuals, much of the content we have today is often seen as noise from the daily life we live in. It distracts us from living life and consumes us in a digital world many times. As well, much of the content so easily accessed is content that we either may not want to see-or, more importantly, may not want our children to see. Thus, a filtering problem has also developed because of the Internet and social media that seems to be somewhat unstoppable because we are so often bombarded by digital messages. From computers, to smartphones, to tablets, the Internet and easily-accessed information is everywhere that one looks.
This post made me really see how much technology has really improved over the years. Another thing that has changed along with our technology is the way we as in people communicate with each other. I found it kind of humorous when the author of this blog mentioned a couple sitting across from each other that is on a date at a restaurant and all they are doing is on complete mute and not saying a word to each other because their eyes are glued to their phones. I believe that even though the way our technology has improved drastically and it has become very helpful for us in many way, i feel that it has put a huge damper on the face to face social world.
Some of McLuhan’s theories fit so perfectly into social media communication, he has definitely earned his title of “profit of the electronic revolution.”
In the John Hopkins University lecture we watched, McLuhan also says that “we tend to separate under electric conditions.” This hypothetical date you’ve described is a perfect example of that. These people are physically together, but the conversation they’re having isn’t with the person who is in front of them. Their electric tools have separated them.