I thought that this video was very interesting. I thought that it was crazy that people had reported the earthquake before it was truly "reported." With the technology we have in our hands today, we have the power to rapidly spread information, important... and not so important. Life for everyone would have been completely different had they had the technology we have today. Think if Paul Revere would not have had to make his midnight ride because he used technology to send the information. Imagine if there were modems like facebook and twitter during the Holocaust or Vietnam. These mediums would have changed the entirety of our history books.
Imagine if Mahatma Gandhi had "followers" on Twitter! Think how much quicker he could have spread his information to his true followers. He could have led India to independence and inspired the civil rights and freedoms much quicker than he did. He could have sent out a mass facebook message, or tweeted information about the Dandi Salt March,a march to the sea to collect salt in protest of the British salt tax, by informing everyone with ease the details of what would take place. He could have protested through technological mediums, along with his non violence protests. He could have easily spread information about the removal of the concept of untouchables and increasing the popularity of hand-spinning. Gandhi made an impact on the world, but think how much more he could have accomplished with these technological advances we now hold so dear to our hearts today.
Sure, in retrospect, technology could have been a wonderful asset to much of our history... It could have saved many time and effort in making a difference, or to promote the good for mankind. We like to think how much easier and better technology has improved our lives, and how much better it could have made the lives for those in the past... But what if this technology was used for evil? What if Hitler had the power to mass message Hitler's youth through facebook or twitter? What could have made history worse by having these technologies?
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Isn't it so much more fun and interesting to be a pessimist? I think using social networking/technology for political reasons and marketing is brilliant. Think about how much more effective Obama was in reaching more people with facebook and the like. So if we're talking Hitler, how quickly might he have hit thousands of facebook friends by being charming and flashy? How quickly would he have been able to rally supporters? I think it could have been really fast, especially among youth who wanted to do what everyone else is doing.
ReplyDeleteTechnology does have its ups and downs, but overall I don't know if much would change. The internet is full of crazy ideas and groups that try to entice young people. Without national coverage these sites are pretty much attracting the same people that they would attract anyway. I think President Obama was successful using the internet because he was successful in real life situations.
ReplyDeleteI do think Hitler would have been successful using the internet, but he was successful without it. He may have not had to work as hard putting on his fancy rallies and preparing all of his passionate, hate-mongering speeches if he could use the social networks we have today.