Distinction Between Humans & Technology

I find it very important to maintain the clear distinction between humans and the technologies they choose to incorporate into their lives. I think that many individuals in today’s society are aware of the power technology in this day and age is, and the evils it can portray. For example, children and video games is a great example of this because children become practically addicted to videogames and forget the fine line between game and reality. Although many individuals would like to associate themselves as anti technology Boczkowski states, “Indeed, it is difficult to identify any aspect of contemporary life that is not affected in some way by the development and use of media information technologies.” (Boczkowski 949).

An advantage of thinking humans and technology as one unit could possibly be how technology has paved the way for many different forms of communication between individuals. Today there are so many different modes of interpersonal communication, expanding how individuals communicate which is a positive thing. “Consistent with our framework, they broadly concern the relationship between technology and society, technology development processes, and the consequences of sociotechnical change.” (Boczkowski 966). Today society and technology is our culture.

You cannot walk down the streets and not see individuals on their cell phones or someone listening to their I-pod, technology today is inevitable. It is hard to think of a disconnection between technology and individuals, although I do believe that society shouldn’t depend on technology so much because it could one day fail. Technology is a man made, and if these devices one day fail to work, what will happen to society? Will be fail to continue working as a human as well?

My perception of how this concept of technology and society as one unit does relate to McLuhan’s theory on “the medium is the message” because what McLuhan states is that the medium embeds itself in the message. Therefore, individuals, humankind, created technology, embedding ourselves into technology. Technology is the overall message. I think what scares some individuals is the fear that technology will one day surpass the human capacity of life, and become more powerful running our every move in society.