Irrelevant Technology

During the lecture on Friday, Dr. Donnelly talked about Neil Postman. He wrote three things on the board, and two of the had a particular resonance on me.

1) irrelevance
2) impotence

He went on to define these terms according to Neil Postman. Irrelevance referred to things in the world that "do not pertain to my life." This is similar to the statement about telegraphs where it was seen as unnecessary for two cities to communicate with each other when they have nothing in common to talk about. This may have been a valid argument decades ago, but we no longer live in small villages that don't travel out of a 20 mile radius in their lifetime.

Nowadays, families are spread across the country, even across the world. I have family all over California, Utah and Japan. My friends are all over the world. How is world news irrelevant? How else would my dad have found out I was okay when I was studying abroad in Japan when the devastating tsunami in March 2011 struck?

The spread of technology is not the only thing that is connecting us worldwide. Cars, trains, boats and airplanes have turned the world into a global community. People focus on the advance of technology through the lens of the past. We are not the same people we were a hundred years ago. As we began to interact with other cultures more and more, we grew less egocentric and became more aware of world and people other than ourselves. Technology has given us this opportunity to become more aware of society and to connect with other parts of the world.

To say that world news and technology does not pertain to my life is a very selfish, and close-minded way to approach technology. The true value of technology is its ability to connect us to people who see the world through a different cultural filter than we do.

For the second point, impotence, Neil Postman described it as pertaining to things that we can do nothing about. News is broadcasted, but it is pointless because we are helpless, we cannot do anything about those situations.

Since when does news have to mean we can directly provide aid? News and technology spreads awareness, which in turn finds people who donate. The great thing about the advancement in civilizations is that we have the ability to help, even if it's indirectly. With the click of a button we can donate any amount of money or supplies. We can donate our old clothes to companies that will then in turn ship it to those in need. How much money do you think would have been raised for any major disaster if there had been no news coverage?

The main point Neil Postman overlooks is that we have become a world community. What goes on in the world is relevant to our lives. We are not powerless because technology has enabled us to act even if we are not present. People love to complain about technology, but they often overlook how it has helped us and bettered the lives of people around the world.

- Sarah Chaney