Interaction of Society and Technology
1. Introduction
The academic experiences in Information Technology: Past, Present, and Future has given me the opportunity to learn more about the interactions between technological advancements and culture beginning with the history of writing systems and ending with cloud computing technologies. The course is structured around the interaction between technological advancements and cultural differences. We began the semester by discussing the earliest forms of human communication. Eventually we made our way into modern technologies like social media and cloud computing. This educational journey gave students the opportunity to make connections between the technological achievements and the societal factors that influenced those achievements. In this course, students were required to complete three extensive writing assignments on topics of their choosing related to the course material. These writing assignments enabled us to research certain topics further than previously explored in class. In addition to these writing assignments, we were required to post our papers on our ePortfolio sites provided by Virginia Military Institute (VMI). This useful technology enabled us as students to share our writing, and created easy access to the information that we had learned through the writing assignments.
In this course, I made the decision to focus specifically on the impacts of scientific advancements in the United States. Based on the fact that transportation evolved in a unique manner in the United States, and the videos we watched on social media technology revolved around United States companies. For these reasons, I felt that it would be beneficial to focus on the United States Culture. Although my first paper focused on writing technologies in China, my final two papers revolved around the United States Culture. Throughout these writing assignments, I have seen a trend revolving around the industrial reliance of the American society. Based on the information that I have gathered throughout the semester I have concluded that the industrial reliance of the United States society has led to fast paced advancements in transportation and communication technology.
2. Transportation and The Airplane
To begin, I will focus on discussing transportation technology, and its interaction in the United States specifically the air plane technology. Transportation technology has had a significant impact on society, and culture has also had a significant impact on the advancement of transportation technology. In this course, students were required to write their second essay about a specific transportation technology. The goal of the paper was to relate the impacts that the transportation technology had on the culture with the impacts the culture had on the technological advancements. The course material revealed the significant interaction between transportation technology and culture. We discussed the importance of horseback, train, and airplane technologies, and specifically their impact on societies. For the second paper, I focused on airplane technology and its interaction with the evolving American culture[Artifact 2].
In the United States, communication over long distances was important, because of the movement of people from the east coast to the west coast. With individuals spread out all over the countries technology had to advance in order to enable communication. People living in the west needed to have access to communication with individuals living on the east. One of the first technological advancements that increased communication across the United States was the usage of the horse. Mail services realized the usefulness of transportation information via horseback riders. It was much faster than travel on foot, and was a way to increase the opportunity for individuals to transport written letters. This form of transportation became known as the pony express.
Eventually a much more efficient form of transportation, the steam engine train, replaced the pony express. The seam engine train was designed to reduce the amount of time it took to transport people, resources, and information across the United States. People leaving the east coast for other areas of the United States led to a need for improved transportation, and the steam engine was the solution to the problem. With the steam engine information and communication could spread around the United States in a reduced amount of time.
Finally, with the development of the airplane in the 1800s a new form of useful transportation technology had been developed. In 1849 Otto Lilienthal completed the first controlled flight by using a small glider in which he used his weight to steer the structure. Inspired by this success the Wright Brothers in the United States began experimenting with aeronautical transportation [Artifact 1]. Transportation technology advanced quickly with the influence of the World Wars. Individuals in the United States and around the world realized the effectiveness of quick transportation during war time. In the United States air travel technologies drastically improved in order to be used in the war zone. After the end of the wars the United States postal service saw the air plane technology developed during the war as a way to spread their communication services to individuals around the United States. The communication needs of United States citizens led to the development of airplane transportation as a form of communication delivery. Letters and books could be shipped around the United States faster than ever before with the use of Airplane technologies. The need for quick communication enabled the airplane technology to maintain a strong position in the industrial environment of the United States. There was a need within the society, and an industry was born to fill the need. The airplane technologies filled the void required, and developed a powerful industry that will continue to generate revenue in the United States for years to come. Moving forward the United States continued to push the envelope in regards to technological advancements. One specific example of this can be found in social media technologies.
3. Social Media in the United States
The social media outburst in the United States is another perfect example of how technological advancement interacted with culture. The development of social media technologies was rapid in the 21st century [Artifact 2]. In 1978 the first socially interactive online site was created. Now 29 years later, social media is a part of everyday life. Most Americans now have access to social media, and use it frequently. The social media movement in the United States can be related to the importance of the pop culture industry in the 21st century.
In the United States specifically, because of the pop culture industry social media was able to gain ground and support. Investors realized the value of social media as a form of communication between individuals. Sites like Friendster, Myspace, and Facebook were able to gain funding early one from big investment firms. People wanted to be able to communicate instantly with anyone around the world. They wanted to be able to share ideas, market their products, and access different aspects of pop culture like music, videos, and pictures. It was not to long until social media companies, and advertising companies connected and developed a new industry in the United States. Money for social media technology was generated through its ability to develop a wide fan base. Millions of viewers meant money for advertising companies, which in turn supported the growth of social media. The cultural shift of support for social media was accompanied by technological advancements that paralleled the cultural desire for instant communication.
Companies like apple and Microsoft created computing technologies that supported the social media industry. Hand held devices like the iPhone enabled users to access social media platforms from any location. This allowed individuals to constantly be connected with others. Through social media people have constant interactions with their friends, and have constant access to pop culture. Not only did the advancing technology increase interest in social media, but the social media industry also increased individuals interest in the emerging technology. Through social media platforms many individuals saw the desirability of portable computing devices. With the communication abilities of social media, and the computing power of portable devices a contemporary industry was developed. Both the social media industry and the transportation industry in the United States had a large impact on society.
4. Impact of Industrial Society
Technological advancement in the United States was driven by the importance of industrial advancement. The technological advancements that were developed created new areas of industry for individuals in the United States to profit. For example, airplane technologies were developed and improved to assist in the world wars; however, the technology was maintained over time due to the fact that industry in the United States saw the potential of the technology. Investments made by the mail industry resulted in improved flying technology. Eventually companies made investments developing airplane technology . Today there is an airplane industry that enables individuals to travel and ship things at incredible speeds. Social media was originially created as a way for individuals to communicate instantly with others. The pop culture industry in the United States transformed it into something larger. Investors realized the potential of investing in social media . Now today the social media is its own industry that generates millions of dollars. Based on these examples it can be seen that the United States industrial culture leads to technological advancements, as well as technological advancements lead to the development of unique industries.
5. Conclusion
To conclude, this course enabled me to understand more about the interactions between culture and technology. Through the writing assignments I gained a better understanding of how the culture of the United States enabled certain technologies to gain ground. I also found that these technologies improved the lives of citizens, and eventually developed their own unique industries. In addition to the required writing assignments the ePortfolio requirements assisted in my learning experience. ePortfolio is beneficial because it allows students to publish their academic work through a connective medium. Teachers and students can access each ePortfolio publication. This allows teachers to have instant access to the work created in each course. ePortoflio also helped me understand the value of publishing quality work. I was also able to access the writings that I developed easily. ePortfolio served as a platform for saving and sharing valuable information learned in this specific course. The knowledge that I gained from researching different technologies, and learning more about culture will enable me to have a better understanding of different aspects of technology and human interaction moving forward into the future.
References
[Artifact 1] Crane, Andrew. “Americas Flying Machine.”
[Artifact 2] Crane, Andrew. “ Social Media: Communication in the United States.”
