Academic Skills Book Review
Technology has reached a level of complexity which is beyond an average individual’s understanding. The development of brain-computer interface has provided many advantages which once seemed impossible. The internet, which we generally use on a day to day basis, has become a medium for information search, individual development, social networking and even marketing. Google is one of the greatest and most frequently used internet sites. The majority of people in today’s society automatically choose to consult a search engine- such as Google- when in need of quick information. People have learnt to depend on the internet without questioning or needing to understand how it works. Hence the internet encompasses an immense level of control, both mentally and globally. It was only a matter of time before someone would consider using the internet as a method of control for the human mind and habits. Sue Halpern’s article Mind Control & the Internet, discusses the growth of technology and unravels the intricate aspects of the internet which we seem to be oblivious to. The growth of technology is hard to grasp and thus it is difficult to determine whether the outcome is solely positive or if it is pushing mankind toward a dystopian world. Halpern’s use of evidence causes one to reflect on the function of the technology and consider the limitations of the internet and its level of control.
Beneficial aspects such as the ability to help people suffering from injuries or disabilities, have come from the synchronization of technology and the human anatomy, i.e. brain-computer interface, BCI, thus making that which seems impossible, possible. Halpern emphasizes, “It seems like the Singularity- the long-standing science fiction dream of a melding man and machine to create a better species-might have arrived.” From these new possibilities one must consider the arising debate between repair and enhancement. More specifically, people have begun to use brain- computer interface for
Beneficial aspects such as the ability to help people suffering from injuries or disabilities, have come from the synchronization of technology and the human anatomy, i.e. brain-computer interface, BCI, thus making that which seems impossible, possible. Halpern emphasizes, “It seems like the Singularity- the long-standing science fiction dream of a melding man and machine to create a better species-might have arrived.” From these new possibilities one must consider the arising debate between repair and enhancement. More specifically, people have begun to use brain- computer interface for
Bibliography: Chorost, Michael. World Wide Mind: The Coming Integration of Humanity, Machines, and the Internet. Free Press, 2011. Halpern, Sue. ”Mind Control & the Internet.” The New York Review (2011). Lanier, Jaron. You are Not a Gadget: A Manifesto. Vintage, 2010. Orwell, George. Nineteen Eighty-four. A Novel. Secker & Warburg: Secker & Warburg, 1949. Pariser, Eli. The Filter Bubble: What the Internet Is Hiding from You. Penguin, 2011. ----------------------- Mattsson Amanda