Chelsea Schneider-Blog Three

Chelsea Schneider

Turning Into the Tube

Tavani mentioned that intelligence is a distinguishing character of humans. However, with this ambient intelligence it is really scary to think that technology may take that distinguishing character away. With the two choices we have when it comes to this technology we can gain control or lose it.

With a utilitarian approach I feel that the bad outweighs the good. Computers, just like humans can make incorrect inferences. This makes me think of all the times I asked my car to call my mom and it dials home. This just requires more corrective action. Also, the information that these computers do save about us have it saved probably until and after I would die. I feel like my privacy is being taken right from under me if this technology was to get any more intrusive.

The episodes from Network sum up how I feel. We are really becoming the “tube”. Yes it may be nice to not have to do so much physical work and thinking because a machine can do it for us, but I feel that our morals and values will then change. What would happen to hard work and the feelings of accomplishment? Our society is becoming “Turing’s men” and we are acting more and more like computers. But in an episode of Network they said that we need to go to ourselves because that is the only place we can find truth.

After these topics that we discussed I defiantly found myself doing more research on my own instead of Googling and putting my phone down more often. I feel that I was taking advantage of the sense of accomplishment. No one likes a lazy society and I want to at least to my part so that it doesn’t happen.

When I mentioned this to my family and friends however they had different reactions. They want a robot that does everything for them. I guess they should take this class and maybe they would think differently. They don’t realize the amounts of information be collected on them all the time. I am defiantly aware of where I go on the internet and where my information goes. I am determined to not become the “tube”!