This is my essay I wrote for TOK on the topic of the blog I wrote when I was mad about the struggle of technology.
Enjoy!
With the ever increasing economical problems that reside in the world today, the implications of this become ever more evident with an attitude of greed and self-preservation in the corporate world. It has been made true in our western society that business power comes from two things: money and control over consumers. This can be seen from the technology that is consumed, for only the consumed technology gives the corporations behind them money and power. This seems straightforward, the best and most usable technology will be the consumers favorites and therefore shifts in corporate power will only stay with those who can develop the best; however this is not so. With greed, the corporations in power use that power to blind consumers, these consumers then believe that all products made from that corporation are the best, whether or not it is. This results in stunting the advancements in these fields, consumers do not shine light on the advancements, and what could help us, hinders us. In this way, the advancements of the world depends on the advancements of research and development; research and development can only advance if consumers show interest; and consumers will only show interest if the powerful corporations allow them to. The perceptions of technology, as a result of the natural sciences, influence the development of our world; the results of this technology has the potential to redefine our way of living.
It is how we as consumers perceive technology that seems to cause these problems. Corporations do not have control over us unless we allow them to. Looking into the reasons why the perception of technology is as it is will allow a better understanding of the economical system surrounding the development of technology.
Perception is just a word used to allude to all the ways of knowing; sense perception, reason, emotion, authority and language/tone/symbols/nomenclature. All five contribute to the way we perceive technology. An example of these can be seen with Apple Incorporated and the perception of their consumer electronics. It is widely believed that Apple’s consumer electronics (namely the iPod, iPhone and iPad) are the best in the world. Consumers all around the world continue to buy their products year after year, allowing the multinational corporation to become the largest the world has ever seen. However the company’s innovation is not nearly as wide as people are made to believe. Their main selling features such as Siri are just old technology given a fancy name and the Apple logo. Voice command has been in consumer electronics for quite a while, and what’s more, Siri itself is not the top among voice command systems. Apple products contain little to no innovation, yet are thought of to of the highest standard and therefore slow down the positive effects that new development can have. For now, the only way any new technology can revolutionize the world is for Apple to put it in into it’s products.
Consumers expect that Apple’s products are the best, they allow themselves to only experience Apple’s products, and they become emotionally stable with their beliefs that Apple’s product are the best; Apple therefore controls the development of our world, and uses it to benefit them, giving them more money and more power.
There are many different ways that consumers have come to this dependency on corporations. Since the inception of the Internet began the world as we know it. One single revolutionary invention began this booming business battle of speed, electronics, gaming, entertainment; revolutionizing and redefining the way in which we access the Knowledge Idea’s, knowing how, knowing that, and knowing by experience. The business world has boomed since the Internet and so has, until recently, the economy.
Looking back, the last time the there was an economic recession was 1929. In rebuilding the nation, America turned to consumerism, using their vast resources to build and sell themselves into success, battling the Soviet Union the entire way. Many technologies were invented as a result of the constant competition against the Soviets. The space race itself created so many of them: athletic shoes, freeze dry food, wet suits, scratch resistant lens; however even more importantly, consumer electronics. As the space programs created both satellites and computers, many people were dreaming, developing and preparing the beginning of the Internet.
“Since the mid-1990s the Internet has had a drastic impact on culture and commerce”[Google], it gave speed to interactions, both business and personal; it gave simplicity to research; ease to expression; it made the world smaller. With this networking system and new technologies, consumerism again began to flourish. As the events of September eleventh passed, again denting the pride of the nation, the government's instructions were to keep participating in the American economy. The logic is that if Americans are spending money, the flow of money will increase the economy and corporations will continue to support the United States.
Consumerism is in our deepest practices, it helps us greatly. However, blind consumerism will give corporations too much power and will not advance the world in the ways that it needs to be advanced.
Currently the world has many global issues. In some aspects, with some attitudes, these tasks can seem impossible to solve; especially when considering them all individually. However with technology's limitless possibilities, a solution can be found where reducing emissions, finding alternative energy, increasing jobs and uplifting the economy are possible, and more. This is more far-fetched than reality, but it is just hypothetical to illustrate the extent in which technology can help us. For example, Stan Lee's Iron Man is a fictitious tale of a man who, with technology, invents a self sustaining suit to keep him alive, the suit is powered by an "arc reactor". The arc reactor is an incredibly powerful device that produces power. Without battery, nuclear, coal, hydro, it gives off energy. Bringing technology like this to the real world, placing the arc reactor, of any size, in cars, buildings, communities, powering schools, stadiums, rocket ships, the unlimited energy would have so much use. Diminishing emissions, chemical waste and more. Technologies like these can make lives easier, make the world better, make humanity smarter, but the people have to want it and inspire it.
Through this we can see that throughout history there has been a battle between invention and innovation, and individual money and power. This dates as far back to the Greeks, to the Medieval, to the Renaissance, to today. As seen, the potential of technology can go very far to be where we need it, when we need it. But we must be ready and willing for it to arrive and advance our world. The knowledge claim is that letting the development of technology flourish we can quicker arrive at solutions to our problems, and advancement our world. Or is it that the development of technology will come when finding solutions to our problems becomes greatly needed? Both are true, the solution to our problems depends on the advancements of technology, and our development of technology depends on solving our problems; we can only be ready for the future to unfold itself.
- askalburgi