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Technology Vs Dystopian Society

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As information and communication technology advances, it has continued to change the world around us and the way that we interact with each other. While the development of new technologies has its advantages, there are disadvantages associated with these developments as well. No doubt, technology is moving our world into the future; which I believe is heading towards a combination of a utopian and dystopian society. In the reading by Marshall McLuhan, Understanding Media, McLuhan makes the argument that humans participate in “hot” and “cold” media, which are described as scale measuring the extent that people interact with media, with “hot” requiring less participation compared to “cold” which requires more effort and participation on the part of the consumer. I believe that “hot and …show more content…
This section of the reading convinced me that rather than a Utopian society is being created from these new technologies, a mixed bag of utopia and dystopia has begun. When examining Lanier’s argument, the issue of ‘Lock In” makes me believe that our society has limited the path to futuristic technology due to a linear way of thinking, and an inability to deviate from the progress we have seen over the last few decades. While there are signs of error and issues with technology, I believe it would be a mistake to categorize all advances in information and communication technology to be harmful or will inevitably lead to a dystopic society. The Digital Revolution has had many positives on society, ultimately changing the primary job industry from warehouse manufacturing to digital computing, and has provided resources and information to people in a way that previously has been seen as

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