This essay really brought up a lot of confusing and intriguing, yet alarming questions.
One of these questions is whether or not the internet is a good thing. We take it for granted are rarely question it, but there are lots of both pros and cons. It boils down to which there more of. The internet is great for research, social networking, sharing information, and just having fun. But it’s not all good. We’ve grown accustomed to the instant gratification of having exactly what we want to see pop up in a matter of seconds. Getting everything right away seems like a good thing, but when it goes beyond computer to our lives, we start to lose patience.
An additional question is if writing on the computer is bad or not. Personally, I do almost all my writing on the computer. Even today, I wrote this entirely on the computer without picking up a pen once. In this essay, Friedrich Nietzsche is quoted saying, “our writing equipment takes part in the forming of our thoughts.” So what makes writing better? How do we want to sound?
Another quote from the essay says, “The more pieces of information we can ‘access’ and the faster we can extract their gist, the more productive we become as thinkers.” That may be so, but is it really more productive when you’re not actually thinking of it, you’re just finding it? Are you a productive thinker or a productive finder?
In the part of the essay talking about Frederick Winslow Taylor’s theories, it was stated that his system would create “a utopia of perfect efficiency.” Taylor himself is quoted saying, “In the past man has been first, in the future the system must be first.” This shocked me, and I immediately thought, “No way, that’s awful! It’s not utopia, even if it is much more profitable!” I know it happens daily, but it’s angering to think that anyone would put being efficiency and money ahead of people. Is that really what our society wants to be? Is that what we want to be known for?
This brings me to another equally frightening question: are we turning into computers? No, I’m not asking if we’re going to become plastic and sprout keyboards, I’m talking about our minds and the way we live. If we’re turning our lifestyles into swift, emotionless assembly lines, how will that affect our mentality and our daily life? I’m sure the people who invented computers didn't realize the potential consequences that could bleed into civilization, but now that we are aware of them, we need to do something to ensure that they don’t happen. It’s quite possible that I’m overreacting about all this, but it’s equally possible that there is an immense problem extending beyond our grasp.
All of these are important and difficult questions. I don’t have all the answers, in fact I’m not sure I have any at all, but I believe that all these questions are worth giving some serious thought. Maybe, sometime in the future, we can figure out the answers, and if we can do that, we just might find a solution.
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I was struck by some of the concerns that were raised. First, I will agree strongly with your shock at Taylor's concept of "a utopia of perfect efficiency." It is a frightening prospect, the loss of individual personality and incentive, no matter to what degree it is happening. Technology has indeed modified our thought processes. Studies show that that face is undeniable. I find it reassuring to look back when the concept of writing was feared in Greece, and it turned out to be what civilization prides itself in. There are some strong consequences we must beware, but also some benefits that we must realize.
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