a simple example would be that we are shifting between a mass society to one that is clearly de-massified and focused on niches. of the 25 best-selling music albums of all time, none have been released since 2000. coincidence? piracy? i-tunes? or an idea much simpler- there is no need to buy an entire album if you only want one song. the last 8 years have also brought a resurgence of older music once thought gone- brandy, you´re a fine girl.
a discussion with my sister the other day made me realize how netflix contributes to this. according to a july, 2006 new yorker article, 90% of blockbuster´s film rental revenue comes from the rental of new films. with well over 100,000 films in its library, many of which are small documentaries or indie films, netflix on the other hand seems to be opening, rather than closing, markets. it was never that these types of films would not sell; however, the economics of all video stores containing all films is ridiculous. hence, netflix manages to be all the little stores combined.
technology and its ¨advancement¨ also affects individuals and has ethical implications.
memory enhancement, to take a recent example, creates numerous issues. engineers are developing devices, microsoft has a few in development, that record life. one such device is worn around the neck and takes a picture every 4 seconds or every time the wearer moves. thus, you have a photo record of what you experience. lots of cool ideas come from this when the device is linked to a computer. for example, the computer might ask you why it has been 6 weeks since the device took a picture of kelly. well, maybe kelly was out of town, or your ex, and so you could not see her. or, maybe you forgot and should give her a call. also, if you are on business and go to seattle, the computer can remind you of everyone you met and with a recording device, give you a first-hand account of what was said. maybe you dont understand why the business deal failed, but when you listen to the recording and see the faces of everyone at the table, you realize your tone of voice caused a problem (you see it in the faces of those you actually did not see bc you were looking somewhere else).
ethical issues abound with this type of technology. should we be ¨enhancing¨ memory in such a way? writing was the first technological advancement to memory. many predicted it would ruin mankind. maybe it did. but, should all people be recorded whether they want to be or not? what will happen to privacy if all life is recorded by everyone? this will change how you interact with others. guarded would be an understatement. you might even begin to wear a mask to cover your reactions/expressions.
another device is a transmitter that scrambles the messages taken by the recording device. like a program, which already exists, that automatically scrambles email messages. therefore, there is never going to be an authentic and authorized version of a digital message. all will be compromised, thus negating this ¨first-hand¨ source. is this ethical? is any of it?
the point is that it will not be stopped. you cannot take away a technology once it has been presented to society. imagine telling a kid that in 1 week, she will have no more ipod. forever. or, imagine telling a businessperson that in 1 month, the computers will disappear forever. back to typewriters and handwritten memos. this is an impossibility, not hyperbole. you cannot take away what was given regarding technology. you cannot even move backward. try telling someone that in 1 year all cellphones will revert back to the zack morris version from ¨saved by the bell¨ (big, clunky, funny looking to us).
these are the kinds of questions that interest me. these are philosophical issues, clearly, and what i am proposing to study down here is the philosophy of technology, focusing on technology and culture. the beauty is that the ideas will not slow down and the possibilities for research multiply exponentially, similar to moore´s law in that sense (moore´s law says that, "the number of transistors that can be fit onto a square inch of silicon doubles every 12 months." he said this in 1965, and mostly it holds true today. moore was a founder of intel by the way). in other words, job security.
below is a cut ´n paste job of some questions/ideas i presented to the director of the humanities graduate studies program recently. this is what i am thinking about and reading about. it may interest you or it may not; however, it already affects you. strange in that way, i think.
Technology and Its Effects on Epistemology
o Philosophy of technology from a humanities perspective
o The objects are part of the discourse (ex. environment is not simply an object to be manipulated, we must develop with the environment, similar to an inter-subjective conversation)
o Art and literature influence technology
o Technology changes how we gather, transmit and view information
o Much of Postmodern philosophy deals with analysis of texts,what is needed is to dissect the concept of information
o Technology provides means for democratization as well as trivialization of knowledge
o Technology can validate a posteriori knowledge; can it affect a priori knowledge?
o As definitions change analytic and synthetic knowledge might also be altered (is this tenable?)
o Raises fundamental questions about adequacy and validity of knowledge transmitted while simultaneously providing means of researching such obstacles
o This provokes ethical questions- what information is a given technology enabling? What is it marginalizing?
§ Technology facilitates an elite group’s domination because it validates their information (knowledge)
o Changes definitions
o Effects on literature
§ Our definition of literature must change (blogs) as technology facilitates access for both authors and audiences
o Memory associated with knowledge- data can be stored but altered, lost also- this affects what is transmitted and received
o Sender to receiver not simply a straight line (magic bullet theory), must account for the source, noise, etc. How does technology affect these limiting factors, yet remain part of them?
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