The concept of Technological Determinism helps me understand why most people are afraid to look up from their phones while waiting at the bust stop in the following ways: The development of technology has caused us to be dependent on cell phones, because they connect us to something/someone thus creating a society dependent on cell phones for comfort and safety.
The concept of Technological Determinism explains that technology directly influences society therefore determining, to some extent, its culture and the changes within it. This term refers to how technology is the working force that propels cultural and social change, thus opposing Cultural Determinism. Technological Determinism, in other words, proposes that the media controls the people through the power of the “medium” (Cell phones, Internet, etc) and people’s dependency on it (cell phone usage comes to mind, and I will expand on that in the following section). Not only do societies become dependent on the medium, but their lives are further determined by the messages expressed through it. This dependency on mediums and people’s susceptibility to them and their content, shape the way people think, feel, act, grow, interact with each other, etc. Essentially, Technological Determinism, put simply, is the chess player, and we the people are the chess pieces.
In my case, I will explain Technological Determinism in terms of how technology, specifically cell phone usage, has promoted a culture in which person-to person interactions are hard to come by.
Applying the term to an example:
To further explain Technological Determinism, I’m going to turn my attention to an every-day phenomenon: The Bus Stop.
The Example:
I’ve been at UT for 3 weeks now, and since the campus is so big, I’ve been taking the Forty Acres bus to get to my classes. As I’ve waited at the bus stop for the FA to come, I have come to realize that the people also waiting for the bus almost always have their eyes glued on their cell phone screens.
Each new person that walks towards the bus stop, as soon as he/she gets there, pulls out his/her cell phone immediately and tunes out the rest of the world… What are they afraid of?
It is as if people no longer know how to deal with themselves or with other people when there’s nothing to do for a few minutes. The idea of just waiting, just taking a deep breath and looking at one’s surroundings, just isn’t valid anymore.
So, why do we do this? Why can’t we simply look up and breathe in the sunshine? Why don’t we dare to look around us comfortably and admire the landscape? Why is it so hard to be comfortable without a cell phone in front of our faces? …Because, we’re not used to it.
Because we’ve been the subject of Technological Determinism since at least our adolescence.
Here is how our lives became technologically Determined:
• Cell phone technology developed, eventually enabling us to make calls, text, and access the web.
• Cell phones became most desirable objects since they presented us with a way to be connected to everyone and everything, all day any day.
• Younger and younger kids started getting cell phones, thus setting a trend for even younger generations to follow.
• All these kids then grew up surrounded by cell phones, enjoying the communicative commodities they offer.
• Using a cell phone became natural, part of our every-day routine.
• We immersed ourselves in the advantages cell phones offered (communication made easy, etc)
• Our “immersion” in cell phones slowly became an “obsession” as our use of it became arbitrary (usage of cell phone no longer out of necessity)
• Usage of cell phone started to replace real life interactions and entertainment
• THE RESULT: A society where people have become dependent on their cell phones to the point of being frightened by genuine social interaction. A technology-driven culture where people develop parallel lives and languages. A society where having a cell phone means feeling safe and comfortable.
Connecting the example and how we became technologically determined:
Cell phones nowadays provide us with instant access to the web, giving us the opportunity to instantly plug ourselves into our virtual lives. We tweet, we post on walls, we comment, we “LOL”, we text, etc. The cell phone is no longer an accessory; it is a necessary limb. People often feel naked and vulnerable without its bright screen light shining comfortingly on their faces.
Were it not for the advancement of technology (in this case, cell phones), today’s societies would probably be more social, and more aware of their environment. Back when there weren’t any cell phones, social interaction was what was “natural” in situations such as waiting at a bus stop. Person-to person relationships were the norm.
Now, the norm seems to be the person-to cell phone relationship, and why? Because technology today has offered us something more, something that has become much too popular to be ignored. The risk is that, should we decide to ignore it, we’d be outcasts left behind in our technologically deprived solitude. The advancement of technology is necessary and, scarily, it does indeed DETERMINE the our every-day lives.
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