COMP 2903 AI- Five Things We Need to Know About Technological Change Danny Silver JSOCS, Acadia University

Neil Postman Delivered this talk in 1998 to a gathering of theologians and religious leaders in Denver, Colorado An American author, media theorist and cultural critic He is speaking to concerns regarding “faith” in the new millennium Presents a fear of technology creating false absolutes But notes that this always existed

The Five Things 1.Culture always pays a price for technology. 2.There are always winners and losers in a technological change. 3.Every technology embodies a philosophy, an epistemological, political or social prejudice 4.Technological change is not additive, it is ecological. 5.Technology becomes mythic - seen as part of the natural order of things.

First Technological change is always a trade-off It giveth and it taketh away We always pay a price for technology The greater the technology, the greater the price Think of a technology - its pros / its cons ??

Second That there are always winners and losers from a new technology Technological advantages are never distributed evenly The winners always try to persuade the losers that they are really also winners The printing press enabled the masses, but hurt the church Other examples … ?

Third Ebedded in every technology is a powerful idea - an epistemological, political or social prejudice. Sometimes that bias is greatly to our advantage; sometimes it is not: – The printing press annihilated the oral tradition – Telegraphy annihilated space – The computer is affecting our communities “The Medium is the Message” Marshall McLuhan – To a man with a hammer, everything looks like a nail – Every technology has a prejudice

Fourth Technological change is not additive; it is ecological Consequences are always vast, often unpredictable and largely irreversible Capitalists seen as radical culture changers: Bell, Ford, Edison, Goldwyn, Berners-Lee Is tech. change too important to be left entirely in the hands of Bill Gates? Consider the impact of ICT on politics (think Obama)

Fifth Technology tends to become mythic - perceived as part of the natural order of things - eg. The alphabet was invented – it is not natural Always dangerous because it is then accepted as is, and not easily susceptible to modification or control. Tends to control more of our lives than is good for us - eg. the hours of the day TV is on