While reading through the assigned reading of the history of logic machines and the early computer, I found myself taking various breaks to check that all too important Facebook for new notifications, friend requests, and (I'll admit) stalking other people's Facebook lives. What would Babbage have to say if he knew just how important the computer would be in the 21st century? With the evolution of different logic machines, It doesn't seem like too much of a stretch to say that in another 50 years, The Iphone 5 will have become a collectors item, and replaced with the Iphone 60 with a version of Syri that I can't even fathom. So, I can't help but ask- what is our obsession with technology?
This week's readings focused on the various early logic machines and Babbage's journey to creating the Analytic and Difference Engines. Prior to examining these articles, I had been under the impression that the world's obsession with technology was a relatively new trend. The truth is however, we have always sought to make our lives easier through the use of technology. Even Babbage was inspired to create the the difference engine because his mathematical calculations were becoming painfully tedious. Similarly, logic machines were developed by various people, all of whom saw the utility in creating such machines. These individuals set the stage for the invention of all of my tech-goodies that sometimes seem to rule my world. Moreover, the early logic machines not only reflect the mathematical or scientific knowledge of a particular time, but say something deeper about the human relationship with technology. What these machines reflect is the human desire to make their lives easier, more enjoyable, and fulfilling. In some twisted way, technology has a certain pleasure element that we can't seem to get enough of.
Nicole, you make an interesting link here between technology and pleasure (some might call it fetishism). But what actually creates this pleasure? You mention convenience, voyeurism, and perhaps a "feeling connected" produced through social networks, and others on this blog have suggested terms like "control," "delegation," and the expansion of our limited human abilities.
ReplyDeletePleasure in technology also seems to be accompanied by equally strong currents of suspicion and disapproval... is this our Puritan or Protestant heritage rearing its head? Or a generational misunderstanding?