Free Essay On Technological Anarchy In Light Of Modern Technological Advancements

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Over the years, technology and the internet in particularly has enabled the human race to evolve in terms of mobility, intellect, communication and as a society in general. This has been done with the aid of various software, applications and technological devices which have proven to be the bridges on bringing the world closer. This paper will elaborate upon the ways in which the world has become a much more bridged place than it was before the discovery of the internet.
Eric Schmidt and Jared Cohen, in The New Digital Age state that the internet has become the most successful form of anarchy in today’s day and age. They are of the opinion that due to a vast amount of information being processed on the internet almost every minute, there are various avenues which have opened for the human race. We now live in an age where creativity is nourished by the easy access of information and the lack of limitations to being exposed to it (Schmidt and Cohen). The authors are quite accurate in their opinions mostly due to the fact that creativity, which used to be a rarity, is now being prospered in wake of the in the internet age. Those who wish to think and develop ideas are now able to do so much more successfully because the internet provides them with the required tools to nourish their thinking process. Entrepreneurs, writers, doctors, educators, in fact all sort of professions have been able to progress due to the fact that internet has brought a wide range of information to them. There are those who might argue that the authenticity of information is always questionable when the internet is concerned. However, the fact cannot be denied that the presence of scholarly articles, journals and reliable information databases compensate for the lack authentic information available online. Another interesting point that these authors make is that internet has made a whole new landscape in our world, one which is not bound by terrestrial laws (Schmidt and Cohen). This is in fact a correct observation. The authors understand how technology and the internet have played a major part in changing the definition of mobility and communication. Humans in this day and age can in fact travel over the technological landscape if not in person via various social networking and audio/video sharing messaging applications.
It is important, here, to discuss David Morley’s opinions in Communications and Transport: The Mobility of Information, People and Commodities in order to understand this topic more clearly. The author in his text talks about how commodities are transported to various places through ships. These goods are treated as cargo which needs to be transported to specific places and become more accessible for the general public through a series of processes. Similarly, information has in today’s day and age become the commodity which is being travelled through the internet. The author derives a valid parallel because information has in fact become a commodity for the human race (Morley). Before the digital age, we would have to strive to gain access to information, but this does not hold true for now. In the present day and age, one click is all it takes to get access to any information that we require.
In the same text, the author talks about how trade routes opened various ways for business and transportation of goods. In the past, these routes were relied upon heavily in order to carry out business activities. However, due to the recent globalization of the world, various projects powered by the onset of digital technology, these trade route have become much more powerful than their original prototypes. Communication has brought the world closer, hence these routes are not only physical in nature but they have become carved on the technological landscape of our world too. Due to the various technologies, these trade routes are becoming more and more innovative. Countries which did not have means to communicate now can communicate via the internet and develop their trade routes much more effectively. Various projects such as the EU’s “Corridor 8” and the Baku–Tblisi–Ceyhan (BTC) Oil Pipeline Project are examples of these ventures made possible through the technological aid provided by the internet and modern communication services (Morley).
Manuel Castells when explaining the evolution process of the internet The Information Technology Revolution reinforces the same point as David Morley. He says that once the internet was created, all those who wished to strengthen their ties professionally quickly connected through the internet to create a web of communication for themselves and their partners/business acquaintances (Castells). This is in fact true, because this initial web led to various evolved prototypes being used for business networking opportunities and operations in today’s day and age.
In, The Internet and Social Inequalities in the US James Witte, Marissa Kiss, Randy Lynn set out to highlight how the world has in fact become a much smaller place due to the scope of the internet and its reach across the world. They start off by saying that just over a period of 40 years, the internet has evolved itself and the world in many ways. From being a tool to communicate from one end of the world to another via email, it has now become an interconnected web which not only stores information but also shares it for the world. They are also of the view that the internet despite many arguments has in fact brought people closer socially (Ragnedda and Muschert). The nature of this being positive or negative is questionable but we cannot deny the fact that this is in fact the case. According to this reading, lets analyze how the world has become closer socially through the internet. The authors clearly state that social capital is now being generated through online activities and in comparison to offline activities this route is much more successful. Through research they prove that social ties to social capital have become markedly increased due to the discovery of online activities (Ragnedda and Muschert). Users from all over the world subscribe to software and applications that can help them connect to their loved ones, business acquaintances or anyone across the globe. These communications would not have been possible without the we of the internet which enables these advanced technologies to run. It was due to the invention of the internet that the vision for these technologies was first formulated. Hence it is safe to say that the internet has played a large role in connecting our world socially and making it smaller in terms of distances.
In The Brain Organization of the Modern World, H.G Wells provides very interesting about the advancement of technology and how it is bringing the world closer. His views are very interesting because he in a time like that realized the potential hidden in the folds of technology and the marvels it could bring with it to the human race. A very interesting point made by him was that various technological advancements could be used for the aid of students and professionals alike (Wells). Talking about microfilm, he says that:
"any student, in any part of the world, will be able to sit with his projector in his own study at his or her convenience to examine any book, any document, in an exact replica". (Wells)
This is a very interesting perspective on technology by the author. He in his writing actually prophesized the learning procedure that we know in today’s day and age. Students, writers and all sorts of creative thinkers over the world use the internet and share their work in order to learn from them. Film students have a large expanse of film based database which they can find on websites such as YouTube and Vimeo which helps their minds to churn out creative ideas and develop an aesthetic sense of things. Writers have access to various articles, essays and documents which can provide them with the information required for their textual pieces. Artists can search famous critiques and be inspired to mould their work and shape it into successful forms. While many argue that the internet has rendered our creativity to slowly become useless, this is not true. As mentioned in H.G Wells’ lecture modern technology has helped the world become a much more creatively and intellectually place due to the constant supply of information it churns out.
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Bibliography

Castells, Manuel. 'The Information Technology Revolution'. The Rise of the Network Society (2009): 28-76. Web. 18 Mar. 2015.
Morley, D. 'Communications And Transport: The Mobility Of Information, People And Commodities'. Media, Culture & Society 33.5 (2011): 743-759. Web.
Ragnedda, Massimo, and Glenn W Muschert. The Digital Divide. Print.
Schmidt, Eric, and Jared Cohen. The New Digital Age. Print.
Wells, H. G. World Brain. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Doran & Co., 1938. Print.