Where to next?

The impact of the changing nature of digital technology is clearly visible in every sphere of life.  Think about films - not only is digital technology changing how movies are produced and what it actually looks like but it is also changing how we watch movies.  The days of film are over as digital projection are taking over at cinemas.  Image quality has improved tremendously and the wonders that can be created through digital special effects exceed even the wildest imagination (Dargis and Scott 2012).

James Cameron's Avatar.  Source: herocomplex.latimes.com

Social media opened up the world to us.  It also changed our expectations of society and of the web.  Just consider our changing views regarding copyright.  A huge amount of content is continuously shared on the net.  One would think that implicates infringements on copyright.  Yet, when you embed or share content, you are not breaking the copyright law.  The content never passes through your server, but is streamed directly from the host site.  Be careful though, as this does not apply to content that you copy.

Social media brought forth infinite access to free speech.  This can quickly turn into a liability in countries where no criticism against the government is tolerated.  Even in countries with freedom of speech it can still land you in hot water ... think of how many people has lost their jobs after ranting about their boss, work place or colleagues via social media.

The question now remains how social media and digital technology will influence our future?  Schaffer (2012) points out that humans are by nature social creatures.  We are turning away from mass media and are once again turning to one another with the help of social media.  He speculates that SoMo (social mobile) will be the focus point in the near future as more and more people are using their smart phones as their primary communication and web access tool.

Nosowitz (2012) argues that we will be able to control our daily activities from our phones with great ease.  We will turn off lights, change the temperature inside our homes, cook dinner, make the beds, brew coffee and feed the dog all with a few clicks on our phones.  Innovations like the Satis toilet from Lixill are able to connect to an Android smartphone via bluetooth.  All that is required of you to lift the seat or flush the toilet is to scroll on your phone.

For me the real potential for the future lies in the application of technology in warfare.  The Pentagon spends huge amounts in an effort to create superhuman soldiers.  While teams of geneticists work on a pain vaccine that will block pain for months at a time or figuring out how soldiers can regrow limbs, Raytheon has already developed an exoskeleton that turns ordinary soldiers into cyborgs.

Contemporary war has a new frontline, one where war is no longer fought physically but virtually, where the actors involved on both sides have increasingly started to replace bombs and bullets with weapons in the form of bites and bandwith.    Dr Kaempf 2010

The main focus of technology is to make our lives easier.  IBM will certainly achieve that once it figures out how to bring the power of Watson to smartphones.  Watson is a cognitive system that will change how we think and operate in the future.  In agriculture it can aid farmers by analyzing precipitation and scientific data as well as location trends before recommending which type of crop to plant.    It also looks very promising for the medical sector.

Whether you like or dislike the role technology plays in our lives, it has become so entrenched in the idea of modern society that the two are virtually inseparable.  My hopes for the future is not that development of technology should slow down, but that we should take the time to analyze its impact on our lives.  Is it still a tool enriching lives or are we enslaved by it?

References
Dargis, M & Scott, AO 2012, 'Film is dead?  Long live movies', The New York Times, 6 September, viewed 4 February 2013,
Kaempf, S 2010, 'Digital media technology changes nature of war', Phys Org, 21 September, viewed 4 February 2013,
Nasowitz, D 2012, 'Smartphone controlled Japanese toilet keeps a personal poop diary', Australian popular science, 19 December, viewed 4 February 2013,
Schaffer, N 2012, 'The future of social media in 2013: six points to consider', Social media today, viewed 4 February 2013, -six-points-consider>