Some ruminations

Technology and its forms are like an infinite number of roads with and infinite number of forks. For instance, the internet has been shaped and formed by the way that we have used it. Despite the hype from polyannas who say "it makes us smarter." or "it can change the world." a recent survey was done as to what the vast majority of Americans use the internet for. #1 was social networking...#2 was email, #3 was www use consisting of buying and selling and viewing porn and sports. The web was dubbed "in jest" world wide wiretap by its creators. That is to say, the internet is being increasingly used for pernicious reasons namely surveliance and disinformation. Other than that it is basically an extremely powerful advertizing tool. This is not a description or criticism OF THE TECHNOLOGY. It is a description and criticism OF THE USES OF THE TECHNOLOGY. It is the uses of a technology that will shape the direction it moves in in the future. And at this point that is not a good direction for the internent.

The only thing that "makes us smarter" is what we do with our mind. The use of the internet is a generic activity. it is really simply an all encompassing almost instant form of communication. But "communication" is itself not an end but a means. The real question we must increasingly ask ourselves is the old Aristotelian questions of ends. We can "communicate" with anyone we please anytime. OK?? And??? Then what?? The real question of the future is not increasing access to technology or increasing internet use or whatever. That is being achieved at an almost breathless rate. The question of the future is "WHAT are we going to communicate about with each other??" What purpose does the communication serve. It seems to me that communication with no or hardly any purpose is increasing.

Again, the point is, technology moves in the directions of its most used applications. If we use technology for increasing frivilous forms of communicating the technolgy will increasingly facilitate that application in a vicious cycle. The development of technology does not occur in a beam but in a spectrum. The particular uses that people most make of the technology is the direction that technology will develop fastest. This is to say the most important component of any technology is the mind using it. We should consider that more often.

John