Beyond Today: Envisioning the Technological Landscape of Tomorrow

Internet and Technological Changes

Internet has become a vital platform that counts in almost everything and stopping people from using it is analogous to ending it. The future of technology is unpredictable and its change is inevitable. People with better understanding of technological implications care the least while technocrats are thrilled with these changes as they come by.

Shift in Parental Concerns

Before the 1990s, parents were not only concerned with media content but also their implications on their children. They believed in the need to regulate this content. As days went by, their worries shifted from just content to medium of access to this content. The emergence of digital gadgets that makes children glued to them for hours has permanently changed their perception of reality and has isolated them from the stimulated world. This population forms the large part of the online crowd.

The Influence of Kim Dotcom and Julian Assange

Kim Dotcom and Julian Assange are two debatable characters that influence the online crowd significantly. Dotcom had an online server that stored and exchanged copyrighted files illegally while Assange’s web page provides access to information – including sensitive ones – from unknown sources. The controversy comes in regarding the legality and sensitivity of their shared contents. They are celebrated figures and some of their followers can want to imitate them. This can be grievous since most the technological inventions can result out of desire and not need.

Klosterman's Perspective on the Online Crowd

Klosterman is puzzled with their personality and online presence. This is shown in a letter addressed to Hollywood when Dotcom says…“The people of the Internet will unite. They will help me. And they are stronger than you. We will prevail in the war for Internet freedom and innovation that you have launched. We have logic, human nature and the invisible hand on our side.” owing to the fact that thousands of people use their online services. It is clear from this essay that Klosterman sees the online crowd as people who can be easily be waved by what is trending (6).

Fluid Structure of the Online Crowd

Konnikova sees these crowd to be of fluid structure with drifting people who have differing opinion. Social media has broadened social network boundaries and has led to improved business results. Yet still, research findings show that Dunbar number stills prevails in the sense that “followings” have limits. It maintains that one is able to maintain and actively engage a small group of people in a while. This depends solely on one’s early childhood experiences in social interaction as this dictates the brain development (1).

The Importance of Physical Social Interaction

Previous research studies show that physical social interaction is important in growing children as it directly connects with brain development. These interactions give one an opportunity to have the “touch and feel effect” in a way that one is able to observe and emulate; providing development of social skills and sound moral judgment. These skills nurture empathy which in turn fosters good morals. Villainy is an ethical issue since it is mostly about our actions and their effects on others. It is our moral obligations that force us to do certain things. There is no procedure of learning on the internet, anyone can choose to walk away anytime. Prolonged virtual environments subvert the “in-person group experience” that plays a fundamental role in empathy development (Konnikova 1). A person might have unstable emotions such as short angriness, but that does not make him/her a villain.

Impairment of Brain and Emotional Growth

Regular activities we engage in shape our brains. This is because technology can be very passive. If we just sit and watch things happen, our emotional and cognitive experiences will not be catered for. Electronic gadgets have reduced one on one interaction there by impairing development of mind and social skills. This skills include; the ability to make physical friends, control of language use, take responsibility, demonstrate good behavior, regulate stress response systems and sound moral judgment. This is what technology has done from Klosterman’s point of view.

The Impaired Brain and Emotional Growth

The two celebrated figures in the essay exhibit arrogance and lack of respect for other peoples’ intellectual property. They do not care about the intent of their actions. They have followers that idolize them. These followers may in turn try to copy and paste them. This clearly shows the impaired brain and emotional growth. Studies indicate that the physical environment that one grows up in matters a lot. This is because these surroundings teach one how to care, love and empathize and it is from these attributes that we get acceptable morality. On the contrary, technology does not teach one these values since it is easier to observe, learn and reciprocate gesture physically.

Works cited

Barrios, Barclay. “Electric funeral.” Emerging: Contemporary Readings for Writers. 3rd ed. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martins, 2010.

Konnikova, Maria. “The Limits of Friendship.” The New Yorker. October 7, 2014. https://www.newyorker.com/science/maria-konnikova/social-media-affect-math-dunbar-number-friendships. Accessed: 17th April, 2018.