Hybrid Assignment #1
Dree-el Simmons
IAS 31168 – Digital Media & Society
Prof. E. Bullock
August 29, 2015-08-29
(submit on time via email due to technical issues)
Taylor Hybrid:
My personal interpretation of Taylor’s quote would be that, in our social structures, technology is not purely good or bad; rather, the intent behind its employ is what determines and distinguishes its role, place and function. It is the same dynamic as with a firearm. A gun, in and of itself, is neither good nor bad; but rather, it is the use and the intent of its wielder that gives the tool its ultimate purpose. In the hands of an officer of the law, or anyone that is using a gun to protect and safeguard the lives of oneself or others, this tool can be regarded as good, for it can be said to be servicing a higher and more noble purpose; however, the reverse is true when a gun is in the hands of someone set to cause destruction and devastation; then, the same gun is interpreted as a weapon of great violence and/or sinister intent.
Conceptually, technology is a tool created to make the lives of people in society easier by rendering long and/or tedious chores to be faster and simpler to accomplish. This is not to say that, technology has not been created and employed to cause great or mass destruction and harm. Yet, even such technologies cannot, in and of itself, be identified as the cause or impetus of its design and/or use. However, an argument can be made that by the inherent nature of what technology is, it creates a detachment from the immediate and visceral effects of actions, leading to an environment where such tools can be misused. Therefore, we have to be diligent and mindful of the intent and use of the technologies we employ in all aspects of our society, today and in the future.
