Digital Technology and Evolution of Humanity: How Science Fiction Is Crossing Into Reality
Svetlana Kashirina
Professor Balcan
BCC WRT-101
Digital Technology and Evolution of Humanity: How Science Fiction is Crossing into Reality
We cannot deny the fact that information technologies play a major role in the modern society. Little by little humanity becomes more dependent on the technological advancements. The extent of our reliance on “artificial intelligence” of the inventions like iPhones and Google makes some of us uneasy. In a new environment, which reminds us of a science fiction movie, we need to be in control of our own evolution in order to remain human. “Machine vs. Human” is the central theme of many movies, books, and articles. A great number of important intellectuals have offered contradicting opinions on the subject, while providing very convincing pieces of evidence: personal, scientific, historical and etc. Some call technological revolution a “blessing,” some simply think “it is what it is” and some see it responsible for a future destruction of humanity. Let’s join this discussion to find out if there is validity to the concerns and to determine if we are even capable to find a solution to the problem.
As proven to us by hurricane Sandy, human dependency on technologies, is bit of a problem. The writer Aimee Lee Ball in her recent NYT article “Hurricane Reveals Life Unplugged,” describes experiences of ordinary families surviving many weeks without power: “…the storm provided a rare glimpse of a life lived offline. It drove some people crazy, while others managed to embrace the experience of a digital slowdown. It also produced some unexpected ammunition for parents eager to curb the digital obsessions of their children.” The latest case of power outage left us people, kids especially, to stare at walls not knowing what to do with our time and made us aware to what extent our lives are affected by technologies, and to what point we are really “plugged in.” Only “disconnect,” like the one recently experienced can make people
Professor Balcan
BCC WRT-101
Digital Technology and Evolution of Humanity: How Science Fiction is Crossing into Reality
We cannot deny the fact that information technologies play a major role in the modern society. Little by little humanity becomes more dependent on the technological advancements. The extent of our reliance on “artificial intelligence” of the inventions like iPhones and Google makes some of us uneasy. In a new environment, which reminds us of a science fiction movie, we need to be in control of our own evolution in order to remain human. “Machine vs. Human” is the central theme of many movies, books, and articles. A great number of important intellectuals have offered contradicting opinions on the subject, while providing very convincing pieces of evidence: personal, scientific, historical and etc. Some call technological revolution a “blessing,” some simply think “it is what it is” and some see it responsible for a future destruction of humanity. Let’s join this discussion to find out if there is validity to the concerns and to determine if we are even capable to find a solution to the problem.
As proven to us by hurricane Sandy, human dependency on technologies, is bit of a problem. The writer Aimee Lee Ball in her recent NYT article “Hurricane Reveals Life Unplugged,” describes experiences of ordinary families surviving many weeks without power: “…the storm provided a rare glimpse of a life lived offline. It drove some people crazy, while others managed to embrace the experience of a digital slowdown. It also produced some unexpected ammunition for parents eager to curb the digital obsessions of their children.” The latest case of power outage left us people, kids especially, to stare at walls not knowing what to do with our time and made us aware to what extent our lives are affected by technologies, and to what point we are really “plugged in.” Only “disconnect,” like the one recently experienced can make people