Blog post 1

Neil Postman speaks about how technological changes of one era do not make the previous ones irrelevant in “Five Things We Need to Know About Technological Change.” Postman’s first idea is that all technological changes have advantages and disadvantages. There is always a trade-off. Using automobiles as an example, society now has better mobility but also air pollution. The second idea is that every new technology benefits some segments of the population and harms others. The problem with this is who will be harmed. Usually, it is the larger portion of the population. Large corporations benefit from the use of computers, while the average citizen has their personal data tracked and sold. The third idea is that every technology has a prejudice. Postman’s fourth idea is that technology is ecological, not additive. He uses the analogy of how dropping red dye into a glass of water changes its nature. Standardized tests, for example, have changed education drastically. Curriculums have been reorganized to teach for the test. The fifth is that media is sometimes treated like an idol. This concept is dangerous because then it becomes hard to modify or control the technology. 

This was a fun read. Postman’s snarky point of view about technology highlights some important factors. I agree that some technology tends to be treated as Godlike or mythic, as he states. The cellphone is a great example of this idea. Recently we saw an uproar from the public when changes were made to a popular social media application.  I didn’t fully understand the examples he gave for his third idea, but I do agree that every technology has a prejudice. As our world changes, technology needs to change with it.