Technology and communication: impacts and applications

Technology

Both Kelly (2008) and Seabrook (2008) talk about the ways technology has radically transformed the ways people communicate and perceive the world. "We are headed towards screen ubiquity," claims Kelly (2008) in "Becoming Screen Literate." Screens are everywhere in our lives: from ATMs to personal video screens on airplanes. In "Hello, Hal," Seabrook (2008) discusses the phenomenon of interactive voice response systems (IVRs), which companies are investing in to save money. IVRs represent humans talking to computers, something that once seemed only within the realm of science fiction. Although they focus on different aspects of how technology impacts communication, both Kelly (2008) and Seabrook (2008) highlight some of the most important ways our world is changing thanks to technology. Human beings are interacting with technology on an unprecedented level, which is leading to fundamental changes in society and human interactions.

Kelly (2008) discusses the change that technology has had on human culture by comparing modern media to the breakthrough that Gutenberg's printing press represented centuries ago. New media makes the printed word less important than it once was. Now, visual images and other multimedia experiences are just as important in communication. Today there has been a monumental change in media consumption, too, in that screens surround people wherever they go. Consumers are constantly bombarded by moving images, even when not in front of their television or computer screens. Even books are digitalized now, viewable on screens. Kelly (2008) describes the shift as being from book fluency to screen fluency, and from literacy to visuality. Consumers of media interact differently with books than with the Internet.

One difference between books and new media is that any user can now contribute to the canon of knowledge by starting a blog or uploading videos to YouTube. Knowledge is somewhat democratized, although there is a greater need for consumer discrimination and awareness of which sources are trustworthy and which are not. Creation of a video, ebook, or a movie has become very easy and it has become possible only through developments in technology. People from different parts of the world are finding it easy to communicate with a wide variety of people by uploading their videos, pictures, or written ideas on websites. Search engines like Google have made it possible to browse through videos in the same way one can browse through a book. Digital medium has ensured that creativity is no longer exclusive to people with means (Kelly, 2008).

In "Hello Hal," Seabrook (2008) refers to the way modern technology is creating artificial intelligence. Systems like IVRs and voice-recognition software, as well as translation devices, all point towards a reality in which human beings are increasingly interfaced with and dependent on technology to communicate. However, Seabrook (2008) points out a very important weakness with the current state of artificial intelligence: "What's missing from all these programs, however, is emotional recognition," (Seabrook, 2008). Computers can recognize human speech, but cannot read between the lines, so to speak.