Week5- Neil Postman

In the article “Ecologizing Mobile Media”, Howard Rheingold applied Postman's "Ten Principles of Technology” to imention the present of cell phones. Although I think that technologies will allow people have more convenient life and bring a lot of benefits, I still agree Postman's "Ten Principles of Technology”- new technology sometimes destroys more than it creates.


Here are some websits about Neil Postman:
http://www.bigbrother.net/~mugwump/Postman/ http://www.preservenet.com/theory/Postman.html


In my opinions, the history of human society has proved that technology itself is neither good nor bad; depends on the way in which people use it that determines its influence on the whole society. Just as the coin has its two sides, technology is a two-edged sword.

Granting that technology has undoubtedly provide us lots of problem, but no one can deny that it provide us more comfortableness and convenience than its demerits by enhancing the development and application of technology and offering the human a better living environment. By the invention of electric bulb, we no longer live in the darkness. Through the telecommunication system, we may gain the information and reply as quickly as possible without consuming us too much time. Due to the help of computer, we may have more free time to do whatever we like. And with the recycling system, we may to some extent solve the shortage of water in cities. In general, whether it is bad or good in itself, it benefits us in almost every aspect of our life and completely changed the whole world. More importantly, it is indispensable for the human to continuously improve the living standard and the environment.

Also, technology has helped to solve the problem it brings us when it’s used improperly. Take the nuclear weapon threat as an example. No one would definitely argue that Germany would not be able to invent the atomic bomb to reach, but in fact it would destroy the world. Another example can be provided that the automobile gives out the gas which pollutes the air and threatens our health. Therefore, technology also causes many disadvantages in our life.

To sum up, it is not a wise view to regard technology as the source of evil or goodness. It's just a two-edged sword; to use it properly for the whole human’s benefits will bring positive changes upon human and the society, but if used by some authoritarians for their selfish purposes, it will create more new problems and even damage the whole society.