Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Critics of the digital












8 comments:

  1. I think opinion is bound to be divided between digital critics and champions. People have always made better use of their time than others have, regardless of the tools they used or the toys they played with. I'm a fence-sitter between the critics and the champions. ;)

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    1. None of these writers simply blames the tools. The tools make certain problematic habits easy, but we do have the capacity to resist.

      By the way, you routinely post two copies of your comments. I do appreciate them! But I have to delete one.

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    2. I should add that Eggers and Taylor, in particular, point out ways in which the problems of the digital world transcend the behavior of individuals; there are large imbalances in power, money, and knowledge that call for broad, structural responses.

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    3. Point taken. ;) Sorry about the duplication which seems to happen when I comment via my mobile. As again here? I can't comment at all on my latop because the Reply As selection box is blank for some reason. Digital devices!!!

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  2. Do you think we might save ourselves? Look at the resurgence of board games, and vinyl records, people want real and meaningful experiences. Do you think soon we will see more people ignoring their phones if engaged in a conversation with a real person? I feel like this obsession with all things digital is a passing fad, and we are going to soon enter an era of discovering and realizing a balance.

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    1. I am less optimistic, because I think the pressure of the digitized environment is constant, and is always morphing to create new temptations and expectations. Besides, it takes a certain maturity to find appropriate distance from technology, and there is always a fresh crop of immature people. So from now on (barring total civilizational collapse), human beings are going to be challenged by digital technology. But I do agree that it's encouraging that, both as individuals and small groups, some people are cultivating healthier practices and perspectives. Those saner possibilities will be there to help those who choose to seek help.

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  3. Hmm - to what extent are these critics the Luddites of this, the third technological wave of Information technology? (Imho 'digital' being a bit of a misnomer.) Could be interesting to think what parallels can be drawn and mechanisms be inferred from previous technology disruptions.
    To put some of the oft-voiced criticism in perspective, a while back I was shown a picture of a streetcar with commuters; all hiding behind their newspaper.
    Not to say that there is not a change happening, but it is probably more in the speed, intensity and volatility of our dealing with information than it is something new in itself. In this way it does enable 'new' embodiments (primarily because it removes prior constraints, that thus shaped society), with a new debate and critique as well :)

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