Just a brief introduction about myself: My name is Cherie. I bidded for this module because the topic intrigues me and I find that it is vastly relevant to our present day society. As the name "Technology and World Change" suggests, I believe I will be able to learn more about how rapidly the world has changed and advanced over the past few decades due to factors such as technology. Moreover, I had a strong appreciation of Human Geography back in JC and I think this module is closely related to what I have learnt previously. I hope to be able to grasp and understand the concepts in depth by the end of the semester! :)
Lesson 1
To be honest, I was quite overwhelmed by the influx of ideas and information presented by Professor Shahi yesterday. (I am not used to attending lessons now due to the 9months break after A Levels!) Nonetheless, the extensive range of knowledge and concepts that he mentioned during class today set me thinking and made me realize how amazing globalization and constant innovation in today's world has drastically affected us in both positive and negative ways. Then, he did an introduction to the module and talked about technology and the Rise of Civilizations which included how USA is number 1 today and how China is rising to the top and may be number 1 in the next 5 years. I believe that this phenomenon will definitely occur given China's global dominance in many aspects such as the economy.
Following which, he screened a few videos relevant to the topic. One which really caught my attention was the video which stated facts and figures of various Multi-national corporations that have commodiously impacted the world and how social networking has brought about a revolutionary change in peoples' lives ( e.g If Facebook was a country, it would be the third largest country in the world). He also raised the question "who doesn't have a smart phone in this class? " and only one or two students raised up their hands. This response struck me like a brick to the head - who doesn't have facebook/twitter/myspace or own a smart phone like the iphone/blackberry/android phones? Even if they do not own or use one now, they may most likely own one in the near future so as to keep up with changes and not be left behind.
Personally, I agree with Professor Shahi that Facebook has become such a powerful platform for social networking. It does not only connect you together with your friends and family, it also allow companies, be it large corporations or smaller enterprises, to advertise and improve their businesses. Furthermore, it is extremely efficient as the technology involved in loading your Facebook page in a blink of an eye has brought about great convenience to users and this makes Facebook all the better. One can also set up groups to discuss issues ( such as the one we have on TWC) and just by sitting down and facing the computer/smartphone/tablet, one can communicate with the rest of the world without having to stand up and commute to where another person is to relay a message. Indeed, technology has become so overpowering and fast-progressing that no one can really predict what is going to happen in the future. Perhaps one day teleportation will be possible and we do not need buses/trains/planes to travel around anymore! On a side note, wouldn't that make people fatter than they already are?!
This brings me to Professor Shahi's slide on "The Future of Human Race?" which really depicts the direction mankind is heading. We face social problems such as obesity where movement of mankind has been minimized and surplus of food is available with mass distribution. With technology, easier methods of transportation have been invented and we have become incredibly lazy to commute from one place to another. Both these inventions and innovations have the common aim of increasing efficiency and increase the level of convenience to mankind-- which I feel is both positive and negative. On one hand, we benefit because now we can travel from one country to another in mere hours, whereas in ancient times we would have taken many years. This saves a great deal of time and more time can be better spent in other areas. On the other hand, it is a bane because our health is being compromised and we may end up being less efficient as it cultivates 'lazy' attitudes and people may just opt for the easier option of walking a few steps to the nearest fast food joint. That then brings us back to issue where one's mindset is responsible for his or her own's health. With technology, knowledge about better diets and sleeping patterns are easily accessible and I believe with the right attitude, one can manage his or her own health situation.
There are so many issues that we can discuss but I hope to learn more about the history of revolutionary change in the world from the ancient times and the reasons behind the westerner's success and how they gained the advantage of having more goods and services compared to citizens living in countries like New Guinea and China. (The great rich-poor divide in the world in the past and present) The problem of urban duality also exists within countries like India. In Mumbai, 60 % of the population live in slums and squatter settlements while the other 40% live in high-rise apartments above the poor. It would be more beneficial if we have the chance to look into that issue as well!
All in all, yesterday's session has been very informative (rate 8/10) and I look forward to learning in great detail about the various upcoming issues concerning Technology and World Change during the semester! :)
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