Does technology fundamentally change things?

With much of the literature that I have explored so far as part of my MACT journey it seems as though every major communication development in history receives commentary in relation to its importance, relationship with a previous technology and transformational impact on its ability to connect and influence society.

Even still, it is hard to comprehend the extent of societal changes that have been influenced by the development and adaptation of technology and also how early confidence in a new system seems to be part of its success.

I find the idea of confidence in communications mediums an interesting phenomenon, particularly in relation to the extent in which we trust and use communications today.

• Cloud Computing = trust in storage and access to information
• E-commerce = trust in credit card security and accurate product representation
• Social Media/On-line Gaming = trust in or disregard for personal privacy

Perhaps it is because of the confidence with which we adopt new technology into our lives that we are most connected to the views and actions of the past. In the Big Bang Theory clip that we viewed, Sheldon displays a certain level of fascination with the historical text based game of the past, but, in my opinion, demonstrates the same type of thought process that he likely uses in new age gaming as well. Regardless of the medium, I would suggest that the satisfaction of gaming is built on communities of trust. Trust perhaps in the technology and, in an online environment, trust within the community of users.

Whenever a new technology is adopted there seems to be a learning curve that contributes to a certain level of societal disruption. Although simplistic in nature, the game Sheldon is playing no doubt came with a learning curve when initially released. In fact, he looks to Leonard for tips when some of his ideas don’t generate anticipated results, demonstrating the disruptive nature of online interaction.

In a previous MACT class we explored the concept of technological convergence in order to interpret the way in which digital technology impacts our societal interactions. “Technological convergence is the erosion of boundaries between media, which disassociates texts from particular mediated contexts and transforms them into nodes within a network of many different media (Jenkins, 2006).”

On some level, I am sure we are aware of the impact of this convergence. However, this quote reminds me how much the line between technology-based and traditional communication tools has blurred and in theory, and perhaps function, fundamentally remains the same. This is well aligned with the Elizabeth Einstein's quote. 

Einstein’s reference to ‘cut and paste’ and the ‘ineluctable persistence of the past,” made me think of the following image. I believe it speaks to what she was talking about in that regardless of the game, text or communication at hand, the technology alters the function without changing the perspective or the form.

References

Image: http://venturebeat.com

Jenkins, H. (2006). Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide. New York, NY: New York University press.