Technological Determinism – Lack Of Freedom From Technology

Having the ability to generate and navigate meaning within new systems is very important to be able to do in this day and age but with the continuous growth of the digital world, it is becoming an addiction. Technological Determinism is a term that describes how the digital world is affecting human behaviour (Heidinger, 2011). A very good example of technological determinism is the idea of cell phones. Cell phones did not exist until recent years and has consumed society. Cell phones are a great creation and have many positives, but in recent years, there have been several draw backs to the usage of cell phones. People have become accustomed to always using their phones, no matter how many people are in the same room or how many face-to-face conversations may be going on. For example, a group of people may be in the same room communicating with one another, and there is typically at least one person on their phone during this time, or even all individuals may be on their phones and not communicating with each other. There is a sense of lack of freedom from technology in the world today, and individuals have become somewhat dependent on this digital lifestyle.

This speaks directly to Jenkins’ discussion on the Eight Traits of the New Media Landscape – directly to the idea of Everyday. He explains that, “there is a danger that as this technology becomes so familiar, so much a part of our daily routines that it becomes invisible to us: we can no more see the layer of media that surrounds us than fish notice the water they are swimming in” (Jenkins, 2006). This technology is being introduced to children at a very young age compared to when these devices first came into usage, negatively affecting them as they are turning into “text addicts” (Heidinger, 2011).

The over usage of cell phones has become very apparent when looking at Texting and Driving. People have become so concerned about knowing what is going on with their friends or in the world that people feel the need to be on their phones even behind the wheel. This has become an extremely large problem in the world today and has led to many deaths, which should not have happened. Texting and driving became such an issue that it is illegal to do; yet many people continue to do it because of the addiction to being connected.

Here is an additional reading about the impact technological determinism has on society:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/09/cell-phone-addiction-driving_n_7543464.html

References

Heidinger, K. (2011, April 17). Technological determinism: What is it?. [Weblog]. Retrieved from http://biocitizen.org/technological-determinism-what-it-is-what-we-can-do-about-it

Jenkins, H. (2006, November 6). Eight traits of the new media landscape. Confessions of an Aca-Fan. [Weblog]. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/08iBZvB