What are your thoughts on this quote about technology and society?

hankmoody · Jan 30, 2012

"The naive optimism of the 18th century led some people to believe that technological progress would lead to a kind of utopia in which human beings, freed from the need to work in order to support themselves, would devote themselves to philosophy, to science and to music, literature, and the other fine arts…Instead of using their technological means of production to provide themselves with free time in which to undertake intellectual and artistic work, people today devote themselves to the struggle for status, prestige, and power and to the accumulation of material goods that serve only as toys. In effect, ~~American~~ all popular culture has been reduced to mere hedonism, and hedonism of a particular contemptible kind."

Edit mine.

This is definitely something interesting to think about deeply . While the author didn't believe so, I think technology is overwhelmingly a net positive. But the relevant word here is net.

Is there, for lack of a better word, a trap? Have you fallen into it? Did you climb out? Obviously, things such as Facebook, twitter, tumblr, etc. immediately come to mind. Even though I am not a frequent user of these services, I have found some merit in them. But only some.

And to go even further, is NT, as a whole, a part of the opined and maligned hedonism? Overall, I say yes.

Here is the essay in which I read it: http://thewirecutter.com/2012/01/happiness-takes-a-little-magic/ (The gist is that technology, primarily the web, often weighs us down instead of lifting us up, which it is quite capable of doing. A recent Stanford study provoked the essay.)

Do a little digging within to find out who wrote the quote.

The new book, The Information Diet, concerns the role of technology of our lives. Def need to pick it up. If anyone else has other books, essays or videos to offer, please post them.

acemaster193 · Jan 30, 2012

"I would say over 5 years, my animal instincts were enhanced to the point where I could guess how many clicks the wolf-whistling mob would provide my website with a high level of confidence, but my intellect was dulled and my patience for books and feature length films was non-existent. I'm fixing that now byslowing down so I can make more time for the things that make me feel good to consume."

This quote resonated with me the most. I've been steering away from technology as much as possible and trying to live a more simple because I look around I see that society is entrapped in this false sense of comfort. People have become slaves to technology in the sense that they work and spend all on the latest gadgets and get lost in these false meanings. Most of what these companies promote is garbage and not necessarily useful for one's self fulfillment. People who rely on technology aren't the happiest of all and once they become bored of what's "in," rush to indulge in the latest tech/show/video hoping to fill that gap, where if they only knew that the real happiness is in the opposite direction of whatever screen they're looking at. I no longer have cable, sold all my game systems, as I thought they were distractions and I can honestly say that I'm much happier than I was. I do rely on the internet for certain things so I don't mean to be hypocritical, but like the author said, the three hours that has freed up for him has done wonder.

teamjordan79 · Jan 31, 2012

"Most men, even in this comparatively free country, through mere ignorance and mistake, are so occupied with the factitious cares and superfluously course labors of life that its finder fruits cannot be plucked by them…He has no time to be anything but a machine."

and

@ OP's quote, that was really Ted Kaczynski?

s0lefunk · Jan 31, 2012

Recently, I have been seeing my PC as more of a distraction than a resource lately. Because of that I decided to deactivate my FB and Twitter a week ago. Just trying to slowly ween myself off this thing because there is so much time wasted.

Spoiler [+]

Plus I just couldn't take seeing all them damn prego/baby pics anymore..

Sir San Diego · Jun 28, 2012

I haven't watched TV in six months and only use the internet at work when I have nothing else productive to do. I still rent movies and will go to the theater maybe once a month, but I have mostly broken away from the clutches of entertainment overload. When I hear people discussing current events at work and elsewhere, I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything. It's mostly crap about other people's lives that will never have any effect on my own. The only entertainment I have on a daily basis is music and that is when I'm driving. A lot of times I prefer to ride in silence and listen to my thoughts.

After six months of withdrawing from entertainment, I feel like I should be spending my time doing something creative and expressing my artistic side, but when I see what most people pass off as art it makes me feel like art has become @%%*@%%@. Most of what people consider art is just watered down, trendy junk. It says nothing about the person or what is going on in the world or their community. It's just what everyone else is doing/trying to do. The sad thing is I have a bunch of ideas in a book at home that I think could inspire some great discussions. I just don't feel motivated to share them though. I feel like most people are so interested in themselves that being genuine and sharing ideas is something that doesn't really happen anymore. Maybe I'm just getting old. Maybe I'm just seeing the world for what it is.

What do we offer to one another? What do we do to make this world better on a large scale? We just buy, use, consume, digest, dispose of and destroy. I feel like things are stuck in one place. Technology advances, but for what? What good do we do with it? Gadgets are cool, but how many different ways do we need to do what we can do face to face?

Sorry to be a downer, but what are we needed for? What purpose do we serve? Life on this planet is stagnant.

Pathos · Jun 28, 2012

Originally Posted by TeamJordan79

"Most men, even in this comparatively free country, through mere ignorance and mistake, are so occupied with the factitious cares and superfluously course labors of life that its finder fruits cannot be plucked by them…He has no time to be anything but a machine."

Click to expand...

and

@ OP's quote, that was really Ted Kaczynski?

Ted was/is just too smart for his own damn good.
i'm well aware of the effect that technology has on me and i am perfectly fine with it, but i have started reading more as of late.

odog24 · Jun 28, 2012

Originally Posted by Brolic Scholar

I haven't watched TV in six months and only use the internet at work when I have nothing else productive to do. I still rent movies and will go to the theater maybe once a month, but I have mostly broken away from the clutches of entertainment overload. When I hear people discussing current events at work and elsewhere, I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything. It's mostly crap about other people's lives that will never have any effect on my own. The only entertainment I have on a daily basis is music and that is when I'm driving. A lot of times I prefer to ride in silence and listen to my thoughts.

After six months of withdrawing from entertainment, I feel like I should be spending my time doing something creative and expressing my artistic side, but when I see what most people pass off as art it makes me feel like art has become @%%*@%%@. Most of what people consider art is just watered down, trendy junk. It says nothing about the person or what is going on in the world or their community. It's just what everyone else is doing/trying to do. The sad thing is I have a bunch of ideas in a book at home that I think could inspire some great discussions. I just don't feel motivated to share them though. I feel like most people are so interested in themselves that being genuine and sharing ideas is something that doesn't really happen anymore. Maybe I'm just getting old. Maybe I'm just seeing the world for what it is.

What do we offer to one another? What do we do to make this world better on a large scale? We just buy, use, consume, digest, dispose of and destroy. I feel like things are stuck in one place. Technology advances, but for what? What good do we do with it? Gadgets are cool, but how many different ways do we need to do what we can do face to face?

Sorry to be a downer, but what are we needed for? What purpose do we serve? Life on this planet is stagnant.

dam that was some interesting info.
im kinda going that route. i no longer keep up with sports and such because i realized that it doesnt matter if kobe scores 50 or if he scores 10 my life will not change at all.

papageorgeo510 · Jun 28, 2012

Interesting, we as humans have used our technologies for personal gain and advancement in status in life instead of the advancement of our evolution as a whole.

"Instead of using their technological means of production to provide themselves with free time in which to undertake intellectual and artistic work,"

^ This quote alone is the answer to our personal freedom as a human race if only we can overcome our own egos.
I mean we have the technology to create light bulbs to last for a life time but we don't, simply because of money profit to feed our egos.

danikerhino · Jun 28, 2012

I love technology but, it's preventing us from from thinking, in all aspects. I mean, how much time do you give yourself to think or ponder to yourself daily? Than, compare that time to the time you spend watching tv, playing video games, surfing the web, on using your phone.

Also, it takes aways from social interation at home with your family in most aspects because, almost all of these device aren't made for group activities (other than the TV, but, that even limits interaction and discussion to a certain extent.)

As I said before, I love technology, but, it's changing our society for better and for worse. We need to balance things a bit better and make family and friends the priorty in life again like other countries continue to do. That's one glaring weakness about capitalism, our underlying values are compromised to often and we consider it and accept as the norm.

shoryuken · Jun 28, 2012

Holy moly... P4L

createdestroy · Jun 28, 2012

People blame technology.

Blame the upbringing.

Blame the technology inept parents who didn't teach their children to use the WIDEST MOST COMPLETE SOURCE OF ORGANIZED INFORMATION (aka. The Internet) to study worthwhile subjects instead of using the MOST COMPREHENSIVE INDEXING ALGORYTHYMS (aka. google) to see who kim kardashian is dating/what rapper got shot/which reality star is in legal trouble.

Blame technology.....ok... technology only allows you to do WHAT YOU CHOOSE in a more efficient and effective way.
Technology does not tell you what to use it for.

Blame technology..... nah.. blame the upbringing.

servechilled81 · Jun 28, 2012

I kinda want to read the whole thing now

danikerhino · Jun 28, 2012

Originally Posted by CreateDestroy

People blame technology.

Blame the upbringing.

Blame the technology inept parents who didn't teach their children to use the WIDEST MOST COMPLETE SOURCE OF ORGANIZED INFORMATION (aka. The Internet) to study worthwhile subjects instead of using the MOST COMPREHENSIVE INDEXING ALGORYTHYMS (aka. google) to see who kim kardashian is dating/what rapper got shot/which reality star is in legal trouble.

Blame technology.....ok... technology only allows you to do WHAT YOU CHOOSE in a more efficient and effective way.
Technology does not tell you what to use it for.

Blame technology..... nah.. blame the upbringing.

Technology is effecting the upbringing because, we can't function as a household without certain technology. Parents can deter certain things, but, who's going to prevent a kid from checking out his friend's phone, certainly not a teacher. It's damn near impossible to prevent technology from influencing people in an industrialized countries. As I said before, it has its advantages and disadvantages in our society.

ryair max 1 · Jun 28, 2012

Originally Posted by ServeChilled81

I kinda want to read the whole thing now

my great aunt knew him and his father when he was growing up in evergreen park. never really spoke about him though apparently because she was shocked with all the %%%@ he did.

createdestroy · Jun 28, 2012

Originally Posted by DaNiKeRhiNo

Originally Posted by CreateDestroy

People blame technology.

Blame the upbringing.

Blame the technology inept parents who didn't teach their children to use the WIDEST MOST COMPLETE SOURCE OF ORGANIZED INFORMATION (aka. The Internet) to study worthwhile subjects instead of using the MOST COMPREHENSIVE INDEXING ALGORYTHYMS (aka. google) to see who kim kardashian is dating/what rapper got shot/which reality star is in legal trouble.

Blame technology.....ok... technology only allows you to do WHAT YOU CHOOSE in a more efficient and effective way.
Technology does not tell you what to use it for.

Blame technology..... nah.. blame the upbringing.

Click to expand...

Technology is effecting the upbringing because, we can't function as a household without certain technology. Parents can deter certain things, but, who's going to prevent a kid from checking out his friend's phone, certainly not a teacher. It's damn near impossible to prevent technology from influencing people in an industrialized countries. As I said before, it has its advantages and disadvantages in our society.

Explain the disadvantages.
How is "checking out (a friend's) phone" a bad thing?

danikerhino · Jun 28, 2012

Originally Posted by CreateDestroy

Originally Posted by DaNiKeRhiNo

Originally Posted by CreateDestroy

People blame technology.

Blame the upbringing.

Blame the technology inept parents who didn't teach their children to use the WIDEST MOST COMPLETE SOURCE OF ORGANIZED INFORMATION (aka. The Internet) to study worthwhile subjects instead of using the MOST COMPREHENSIVE INDEXING ALGORYTHYMS (aka. google) to see who kim kardashian is dating/what rapper got shot/which reality star is in legal trouble.

Blame technology.....ok... technology only allows you to do WHAT YOU CHOOSE in a more efficient and effective way.
Technology does not tell you what to use it for.

Blame technology..... nah.. blame the upbringing.

Click to expand...

Technology is effecting the upbringing because, we can't function as a household without certain technology. Parents can deter certain things, but, who's going to prevent a kid from checking out his friend's phone, certainly not a teacher. It's damn near impossible to prevent technology from influencing people in an industrialized countries. As I said before, it has its advantages and disadvantages in our society.

Click to expand...

Explain the disadvantages.
How is "checking out (a friend's) phone" a bad thing?

Read my first post, then you can debate.

I was just making a point, you can't prevent anyone from accessing technology in our society which in-turn, prevents imagination and thought from being used in most cases when you using it and limits interaction to a certain extent.

createdestroy · Jun 28, 2012

Originally Posted by DaNiKeRhiNo

I love technology but, it's preventing us from from thinking, in all aspects. I mean, how much time do you give yourself to think or ponder to yourself daily? Than, compare that time to the time you spend watching tv, playing video games, surfing the web, on using your phone. What you are implying is that before technology became advanced most people spent time thinking/pondering. Very untrue. Before "technology" people spent most of their time working to live. (Pre-Industrial revolution) Even post industrial revolution MOST people worked labor. Time off was spent resting/Listening to Radio more than "pondering and thinking about life". Leisure time is a fairly new concept (if you exclude ruling class/wealthy) in human history. (<100years) Explain what time period you are comparing current day habits to.

Also, it takes aways from social interation at home with your family in most aspects because, almost all of these device aren't made for group activities (other than the TV, but, that even limits interaction and discussion to a certain extent.) Cellphones are made to contact other people. Internet is just a database of information, which also allows you to contact other people. You are faulting inanimate objects with only two functions (connect and inform) for not being made for group activities? Which everyday objects built specifically for group activities are no longer used due to technology?

As I said before, I love technology, but, it's changing our society for better and for worse. We need to balance things a bit better and make family and friends the priorty in life again like other countries continue to do. That's one glaring weakness about capitalism, our underlying values are compromised to often and we consider it and accept as the norm. You are equating the availability of technology/establishment of capitalism to a lack of family/friend value. Do you have any studies/sources to back this claim? Which countries with less technology are you comparing the U.S. to? Which non-capitalistic nations are you comparing the U.S. to?

Hank Scorpio · Jun 28, 2012

Not surprised that the quote is from Ted Kaczynski.

Majorbread · Jun 28, 2012

I think technology has in a sense created this notion of things being easier. And as a result I believe we have gotten lazier as a society. It certainly has some benefit as well but lets look at the impact of all the information overload that we have now:

What scares me about that is the info we are given, whether it be on the news, internet, etc..

So many people now are willing to take everything they see or hear at face value and don't really question the information, they have essentially become sheep. Nobody these days wants to really research something and decide for themselves. They want to click a link and pretty much be told the info right away

With the people in control of these media outlets, i fear that they are shaping our opinions and telling us what we want to hear in efforts to essentially control us.

This really scares me quite honestly because as time passes I believe it will only become worse and there will be more and more sheep living on this planet.

cap1229 · Jun 28, 2012

Depends on where you're sitting at the table really and what you decide to give back to the world you live in.

veryanalytical85 · Jun 28, 2012

Originally Posted by 40inchBoost

I think technology has in a sense created this notion of things being easier. And as a result I believe we have gotten lazier as a society. It certainly has some benefit as well but lets look at the impact of all the information overload that we have now:

What scares me about that is the info we are given, whether it be on the news, internet, etc..

So many people now are willing to take everything they see or hear at face value and don't really question the information, they have essentially become sheep. Nobody these days wants to really research something and decide for themselves. They want to click a link and pretty much be told the info right away

With the people in control of these media outlets, i fear that they are shaping our opinions and telling us what we want to hear in efforts to essentially control us.

This really scares me quite honestly because as time passes I believe it will only become worse and there will be more and more sheep living on this planet.

Truth. What I also don't like is the fact that society relies on technological advances more and more as time goes by. I really would prefer myself (or my grandkids if I were to have any) to not deal with an A.I. that's in central control of the world's daily activities.

danikerhino · Jun 28, 2012

Originally Posted by CreateDestroy

Originally Posted by DaNiKeRhiNo

I love technology but, it's preventing us from from thinking, in all aspects. I mean, how much time do you give yourself to think or ponder to yourself daily? Than, compare that time to the time you spend watching tv, playing video games, surfing the web, on using your phone. What you are implying is that before technology became advanced most people spent time thinking/pondering. Very untrue. Before "technology" people spent most of their time working to live. (Pre-Industrial revolution) Even post industrial revolution MOST people worked labor. Time off was spent resting/Listening to Radio more than "pondering and thinking about life". Leisure time is a fairly new concept (if you exclude ruling class/wealthy) in human history. (<100years) Explain what time period you are comparing current day habits to.
I'm thinking 1600s-1700s when alot of time was spent on changing society.

Also, it takes aways from social interation at home with your family in most aspects because, almost all of these device aren't made for group activities (other than the TV, but, that even limits interaction and discussion to a certain extent.) Cellphones are made to contact other people. Internet is just a database of information, which also allows you to contact other people. You are faulting inanimate objects with only two functions (connect and inform) for not being made for group activities? Which everyday objects built specifically for group activities are no longer used due to technology?
Overall family interaction are effected which build stronger and closer relationships.

As I said before, I love technology, but, it's changing our society for better and for worse. We need to balance things a bit better and make family and friends the priorty in life again like other countries continue to do. That's one glaring weakness about capitalism, our underlying values are compromised to often and we consider it and accept as the norm. You are equating the availability of technology/establishment of capitalism to a lack of family/friend value. Do you have any studies/sources to back this claim? Which countries with less technology are you comparing the U.S. to? Which non-capitalistic nations are you comparing the U.S. to?

No sources but, technology is distracting and our country is money driven. The go side and side when it comes to distracting from basic family values.

Click to expand...

createdestroy · Jun 28, 2012

If you have no sources or data to back up your claims, what caused you to believe what you are saying?

41239 · Jun 28, 2012

One problem tho, we're not even at the half way point of technology that would allow us to have a "utopia" in which we could develop our more creative minds, just because everything is touch screen and we have satellites doesn't mean we are able to totally put our life's dependence on technology lmao, horrible quote

dt43 · Jun 29, 2012

Originally Posted by slickp42189

One problem tho, we're not even at the half way point of technology that would allow us to have a "utopia" in which we could develop our more creative minds, just because everything is touch screen and we have satellites doesn't mean we are able to totally put our life's dependence on technology lmao, horrible quote

you're missing the point. no one's saying that we're at a utopia.. but as a society our spiritual, emotional, and intellectual personal progression should be matching our technological progression and it is in fact going the other direction.
have you ever heard of Moore's Law? The rate at which technology is increasing is exponential. yet these advances in technology, which by definition is a tool meant to increase our personal happiness and ease of life, is not bringing about those change we envisioned. what is the point of all this technology if it isn't truly improving our lives?

we are moving towards a spiritually bankrupt state where more of our focus is placed on material and fleeting things, and less time is spent cultivating those values that actually matter.

Search

What are your thoughts on this quote about technology and society?

hankmoody

acemaster193

teamjordan79

s0lefunk

Sir San Diego

formerly brolic scholar

Pathos

formerly retrosan

odog24

papageorgeo510

danikerhino

shoryuken

createdestroy

servechilled81

danikerhino

ryair max 1

createdestroy

danikerhino

createdestroy

Hank Scorpio

Majorbread

formerly 40inchboost

cap1229

veryanalytical85

danikerhino

createdestroy

41239

Guest

dt43

Similar threads

Share this page