Zoomer. Photo by Talen de St. Croix on Unsplash
Boomer. Photo by Jonathan Cosens Photography on Unsplash
ZD: Okay, digital technology is about everything right now. It is used to communicate, read, write, create, learn, educate. You can do million different things with it! Imagine how the world changed since the internet became widespread and accessible to people around the globe. Isn’t it fascinating?
Mr. Pen: Yes, I get it. I understand that technology can do a lot of stuff. Actually, not technology itself, but people using a particular technology. I hear the word “technology is used to” a lot these days, but I think we should say “people use technology to.” You know what I mean? The accent is on us, the people. Not on a piece of metal that is just another tool to help us in our daily life.
ZD: Well, yeah, isn’t it already implied? People use technological tools to do something. Unless we are talking about AI.
Mr. Pen: That is a whole different conversation. But, what I am saying is that technology could be good or bad, more or less critical, life-changing or completely worthless depending on its use at the specific moment by a specific person to do specific tasks. It is not something independent. Again, I feel I am repeating it, but digital technology is just another tool or set of tools to deal with our everyday stuff. Yes, an extremely versatile tool. Yes, an extremely handy tool. But still just a tool. That is why I do not understand the hype and almost a worship around modern technology.
But don’t you think, for good or for bad, the invention of computers, phones, the internet, and social media made an enormous and irreversible change in the way we exchange and process information? Like, of course, for centuries, humanity has been inventing numerous tools to make life easier, faster, more convenient. But, although those inventions were and are fundamental in our anthropological evolution, they did not alter the whole scope of our communication and thinking. I believe that in the past thirty years or so, we leaped to another level of human progress. We just opened a black box full of new possibilities and opportunities to grow as human beings!
Mr. Pen: Or we opened a can of worms that will eventually kill us!
ZD: Wait, I am confused. Is your argument “All that technology is not a big deal, just regular things that people were always trying to invent, and the greatness of any tool depends on the user of it”? Or are you saying, “No, technology is slowly killing our brains, so we should stop using it or at least be aware of its harm”?
Mr. Pen: The can of worms thing was a joke. Obviously, some people are worried about the negative effects of technology in our lives, and I think those worries are valid and should be considered and addressed. In my opinion, individuals are, by nature, divided into ones that push the change in a particular area and others who pull back. Both of these forces should exist to maintain the balance, I suppose. But, still, my main argument is that obsession with the “new era” that is coming with the internet and related technology is nice food for thought for sci-fi writers rather than an actual depiction of reality. Humans are and will stay mainly and fundamentally in the same state, following the repetitive cycles of life and jogging through already known pathways. It is not good or bad; it is just the way it is. And technology can make it seem or feel different, but, in fact, it does not change it.
ZD: So pessimistic! No, I totally disagree. Over the centuries, we learned how to speak, write, read, make paintings and music, create movies and installations, study and teach, tolerate and forgive each other— all that without the technology of the twenty-first century. Imagine how quickly and how many things we can do using it! We changed a lot through mistakes and obstacles, but who knows how much change is ahead of us? I am getting thrills when I think about it.
Mr. Pen: Okay, are you done? I understand your vibes, but, fortunately or unfortunately, I don’t share them. Now I want to just lie down on this sunny lawn right here.
ZD: Actually, I need to catch a plane! I am a little late.
Mr. Pen: I guess I’ll see you flying in the skies from here.
ZD: I’ll see you!
Cap: P.S. Look up the prompt for this assignment on the class website. You are welcome to read the reflection on the narrative (the prompt for the reflection is here). Keep in mind, there is a second part for the technology literacy narrative. Bye.
Bakai: Dreamer, Doubter, Doer 