Category Archives: technopoly

Do I agree with Postman?

It was interesting reading all of the postman’s different thoughts on technology. One thing I found interesting that the postman mentioned was the dangers of “one-eyed prophets”.

I believe technology has so many benefits as well as so many cons. I have personally encountered so many individuals who only harp on the bad parts of technology, while I understand their point of views, being a digital studies major I have gotten the privilege to see so much of the good technology has brought to the world.

I think what the postman was talking about in terms of “one-eyed prophets”, I think it can definitely be dangerous and can lead people into having a fear of technology which is very common in present days.

In the film “Who Framed Roger Rabbit”, good vs evil and winners vs losers is very prevalent. The character “Judge Doom” if it isn;t already obvious in the name was the antagonist in the film. He created a new technology called “the dip” to get rid of toons for good.

Postman mentioned that the introduction of new technology connects to winners vs losers. In “Who Framed Roger Rabbit”, Judge Doom technically was the loser in the film because other characters were not fond of his new technology and wanted it destroyed.

Judge Doom and Eddie Valiant competed against each other for one to get their way and ultimately fight/argument. I thought of this as an example of media wars which Postman described as new technologies competing with existing ones.

Postman’s Ideas and Black Mirror

My original summary and analysis is as follows:

Postman’s ideas relate to Black Mirror when it comes to technology being a friend. Very rarely do these episodes start as technology being the enemy. What Black Mirror shows is that technology only becomes the enemy when humans emotions, instinct, and actions corrupt it. I really like what Postman said, “Our relationship with technology isn’t black or white; it is black and white.” I think that Black Mirror reflects this very well. The show is very complex when it comes to the world building of a real or virtual world, as well as building relationships of the human characters to allow the audience to fully grasp the situation and sort of live through it with the characters.
How can I make this a better summary and relate the technopoly ideas with Black Mirror.

At this point I submitted it through Dr. Oblivion and asked how I can make this better. Here is his response:

From this feedback I think that a parallel from the show to Postman’s ideas are in Chapter 5: The Broken Defenses, Postman says “False or misleading information on the internet has become a rule, and can often out-perform more reliable sources.”. I see this in everyday life currently but in Black Mirror the technology is more advanced and in some cases have a mind on its own. In Season 5 Episode 3: Rachel, Jack, and Ashley Too, it features a robot who it, itself is gaslit by her makers. The robot Ashley Too is a doll that was made with the musical conscience of a pop star and when the robot learns this it starts to malfunction and breakdown. If misleading information, or gaslighting is taking robots down or in theory don’t have a conscience then why are we, humans, expected to deal with it everyday and just know what is or is not fake news.

Technopolis

Ideas and Summary

I thought the reading was very enlightening. Just like anything, leaning too much to one side is bad. Embracing technology is dangerous by letting it consume your thoughts and actions, while refusing technology will have you fall being while everyone moves ahead. You need to keep somewhat of a balance. Chapter one dives into why embracing technological change is good, but being wary of how it can take over your life. For example, A good thing about technology is the development of portable computers allows students to easily take notes. While some may still opt to write their notes, typing is more beneficial to students with learning disabilities like dyslexia or dysgraphia. However, technology like AI has been really negative for a lot of students. While students may think it’s helping them, it’s actually negatively effecting their critical thinking and literacy. On top if that, it has a terrible effect on the environment. Cooling system in data system require large amounts of water which puts pressure on areas in droughts like California. Chapter 2 explains how tools were invented to address the issues in society but they could also unintentionally transform societies. Chapter 3 dives into how the rise of technocracy which then evolves into technopoly. Postman says that America’s focus on unrestrained growth and freedom is what started the shift. Traditional beliefs were sidelined, and technology became the dominant ideology. This next chapter i found particularly interesting. It examines the history of information revolutions. Technology like the printer had slow growth so it had a positive contribution on society, while technology like electric cars prioritizing technological speed and volume over coherence. This leads to a decrease in technological productivity. Finally, Chapter 5 explains why keeping morality in technology development is important. The flood of information created by modern technologies has overwhelmed society’s traditional systems of control. Families, schools, religions, and government once provided moral, social, and cultural frameworks have been eroded and replaced by technical methods. Postman explains that there is a chance to recover society if the right steps are taken.

Relating to Black Mirror

The readings gave me a new perspective on Black Mirror. The streaming service, Streamberry, in ‘Joan is Awful’ is all too quick to utilize the latest and greatest technology. Meanwhile the consequences of the technology negatively effect all kinds of people. Streamberry uses a quamputer to make the ‘Joan is Awful’ show which “creates a multiverse of characters” according to the CEO of Streamberry. After the show causes to Joan lose her job, her fiancee, and airs out all her business, while simultaneously ruining Selma Hayek’s reputation, Joan and Salma go to destroy the quamputer. To try and stop Joan, the CEO says “We don’t know what it’s capable of, it’s basically magic.” This parrallels well with what Postman says about technopoly, when all developers focus on is improving technology, it eventually loses what makes it a quality product. Sure, the quamputer is an amazing advancement in technology but it adds nothing beneficial to society.

What Does Dr. Oblivion Have to Say?

Dr. Oblivion essentially said that the transformation from technology to technopoly was foreseeable. He also explained that people are quick to raise concerns about fast changing technology but still fall into its allures. He said it’s important to find balance between embracing and being cautious of technology is important. Dr Oblivion says that Postman’s exploration from technology to technopoly showcases America’s priority for growth instead of traditional values. Overall, I agree with a lot of what Dr. Oblivion said and he had some very good insights.

Technopoly

Simply after reading the Introduction Reading Postman in 2020: Towards Technopoly, I could see the many connections that Neil Postman’s ideas and work had to The Terminator, the film I watched last week. Postman initially discusses the dangers of society becoming overly dependent on technology, losing its critical thinking and traditional values in the process. Throughout the reading, the author examines Postman’s critique of technology and its evolving impact on society, particularly in today’s context with a more advanced and developed digital age. The first chapter uses Thamus’ judgment as a metaphor for the modern-day skepticism about new technologies, particularly digital media. This sense of skepticism is especially relevant in the context of social media, smartphones, and other technologies, and is seen in The Terminator with the rise of rogue technology. The 2nd chapter focuses on a state Postman calls technocracy. In a technocracy, experts in technology and data hold significant power, and technology begins to shape the priorities and values of society. In the terminator, the development of technology begins to move from being a neutral tool that humans control to a driving force that fits the noir theme in wanting to gain control over its creators. The first two chapters really drove the other three, reviewing other aspects such as an “improbable world”, but all support a renewed awareness of the ways technology influences every aspect of life. The author also challenges readers to reconsider how they engage with it, aiming for a more balanced and thoughtful approach to its integration into society, furthermore relating to The Terminator resulting in its viewers having increased awareness of its quick development.

My reflections and Dr. Oblivion’s response heard here were positive. I agree even more with the author’s reflection on Postman’s ideas after rewatching The Terminator in the context of analyzing it. It wasn’t super eye opening or unexpected, but it’s a needed reminder or realization in the more digitized age we live in today.

Reading Postman in 2020: Towards Technopoly

Technopoly is a culture dominated by technology, redefining religion, art, family, politics, history, truth, privacy, and intelligence. In the film I watch technology was intrated into society and treated as a tool rather then a force that shapes culture as Postman says.

Postman also says that we see technology as a fried and igore it’s negative portains. In this film technology was indeed used to take lives and hurt people.

In the film the main charater did recieve infromation over load technologey used to completetly change who he was.
“The Groundstar Conspiracy” seems to focus more on a government conspiracy and technological secrets, while Postman’s concerns are about the broader impact of technology on culture and society.
Though the biggest point that the movie does relate to is the use of technology being dangerous if left unchecked

Honestly reading through the Postman was interesting but, not as eye-opening as I’m sure it is to most. After all I have screamed at enough computers to understand that it is more than meets the eye. Plus, I am a young adult with a brain that isn’t fully developed I am constantly skeptical and against things, simply because someone told me I should be quiet and trust it I will actively work hard to comment and question every aspect. The second I learned I could use sites without accepting all cookies I made sure not too even if they made the process take longer on purpose so you wouldn’t click it. I did actually struggle though when relating it to my film since while yes, they utilized technology it wasn’t like they were puppets being manipulated by a main frame or something, so I had to go back and really look. Then I didn’t know how long it had to be and simplified it. Overall, though yes, I did enjoy the reading no I did not enjoy analyzing I would be impressed to meet someone who does.

Technopoly

Ideas and Summary

I found the reading to be pretty interesting! In order to accept new technology, we should fully understand it, knowing its benefits and downsides. Chapter 1 really intrigued me as he emphasized how should avoid the extremes, between being a technophile or a technophobe. Technophile as in only seeing the benefits of technology, and technophobes only seeing the downsides, or just fearing new technology in general. Chapter 2 goes through the historical and cultural context of technocracy. Chapter 3 describes how technocracy transitioned to technopoly, where it reshaped the definitions of different societal concepts such as religion or family to align with technology. Chapter 4 outlines the change in how we access information, to where we didn’t have access to much information, to now having unlimited access through the digital age. Chapter 5 showcases and wraps up the reading so far well by establishing how society needs morality when we are navigating new inventions or advancements.

Dr. Oblivion’s Input

Dr. Oblivion said that it is important to incorporate how we must stick to ethics and morals in a technologically-advancing environment. He also said how it is “essential to embrace new technology, but also be wary of it’s setbacks”. Overall, he outlined the same points that I said above.

Living in Our Own Matrix?

Reading Neil Postman’s Technopoly made me think a lot about The Matrix. In Chapter 1, Postman talks about how technology comes with both good and bad sides, which is basically the whole idea of the Matrix. it’s a prison, but it also keeps people comfortable. Honestly, Cypher’s betrayal made a lot more sense to me after reading that.

Postman also talks about how technology can slowly take over culture, and that’s exactly what happens in The Matrix. People don’t even realize they’re being controlled. It made me think about how we rely so much on tech today. Are we already in our own version of the Matrix with social media and AI?

The biggest thing I got from both Postman and the movie is that we need to actually stop and question how much control tech has over our lives. Otherwise, we might just end up stuck, like the people plugged into the Matrix.

Dr. Oblivions Feedback/response