Has Technology Ruined Society?

I laugh when people proclaim "the Internet is ruining our lives" declaring that post 1990's society is going to hell. Wake up call, the "Net" has been around since the late 60's. I bet you the people at DARPA who conceived such a creation and actually implemented it thought about blogging crap and spamming others "walls" with ASCII pOrn back in the day. This isn't attributed to a post 1980's society, regardless of "Facebook" and other totally non innovative tech out there. Hardcore computer users have been around since the invention of the computer(and possibly abbacus). I am sure Jesus and the lads spent hours reading and writing garbage for plesure. Addiction can be applied to any enjoyable activity.

I mean, the guys who invented the Unix Operating System thought it would be awesome to squeeze more cycles from their PDP-7 machines to improve their space computer game. So, Unix was invented not to benefit corporate interest but for K&R to play their game in peace! It's not the fault of "the Net" or our "digital society", it's simply human nature to be addicted to something as a result of personality traits. It's not the "Nets" fault you are an addict. Understanding the sheer power of a tool, and respecting it for that precise, potentially fatal power is something alot of people overlook. Thats why you see cases like that American kid who nearly killed himself by messing with electricity.

"Blame everyone but I, they say. How could I be responsible for my own problems?"

PEOPLE ARE RUINING SOCIETY, NOT TECHNOLOGY!

Earthhorse wrote: »

And what if I don't couple George Anderla's theory of the exponential doubling of information with the principle of negative entropy? What then, smart guy?

Chaos, man. Chaos.

The irony of your post!

RockinRolla wrote: »

So here I am watching television, playing the Xbox, browsing the internet etc, and it's a beautiful day outside. Do I feel the need to go out? Of course not. What about past generations - people cycled to work, now they drive cars, obesity is up, society is becoming more lazy, global warming is increasing....

But what about our dream world, we now live in. We are becoming more introverted, we are selfish, we are manipulated through television to live life a certain way or purchase things we don't need, we live beyond our means - building castles on sand, increasing overdrafts, getting into credit card debt with impulsive buying and brainwashing advertising.

The worst of all is, we are constantly creating new ways to become less social. Facebook, Myspace, Bebo - all networks that allow us to talk to each other without shaking each others hand in the physical form. We are creating ways to become more isolated and distant from each other.

Is technology ruining society?

Three things:

1. I don't watch TV.
2. I use AdBlocker.
3. Bliss.

THE PARADOX OF OUR AGE


We have bigger houses but smaller families;
more conveniences, but less time;
We have more degrees, but less sense;
more knowledge, but less judgement;
more experts, but more problems;
more medicines, but less healthiness;
We've been all the way to the moon and back,
but have trouble crossing the street to meet
the new neighbor.
We build more computers to hold more
information to produce more copies then ever,
but have less communication;
We have become long on quantity,
but short on quality.
These are times of fast foods
but slow digestion;
Tall men but short character;
Steep profits but shallow relationships.
It's a time when there is much in the window,
but nothing in the room.

The 14th Dalai Lama

dam didnt know that, looked it up, some people still day the dali guy wrote it! and others say that mooreland guy, hope not as some website was saying he is a sex offender!


dam wish I hadnt posted that here now, ignorance is bliss.

**** you.