Impact of Technology and Media Today

Over the past century until now, technology has served the world through many different ways, whether it’s the flick of a switch to turn on a light bulb or sending an email via internet to someone who lives across the globe. People used to walk and ride horses to travel, but today we have all sorts of transportation, including trains, cars, airplanes, etc. Computers also play a huge role in our daily lives. The first computer ever to be invented was back in 1946, in which it weighed 30 tons and was as big as two semi-trucks. Today, we have personal home computers, handheld devices, such as MP3 & MP4 players, cell phones, iPods, iPhones, and iPads that are capable of doing much more than just calculating a bunch of numbers. Although technology is able to let us do so much with the touch of a finger  the downfall of this is that the generation today is being spoon-fed with all of these technologies, it often don’t allow the time to think or listen to each other with the constant sensory stimulus of texts, tweets, Facebook updates, emails and more.

According to the article I’ve read, Blogs have been a big help to them in their situation. Blogs are not just sharing stories of survival and aggregating news coverage, but it also enables the bloggers to express their insights, rescue efforts & humanitarian assistance, and it also facilitates the grieving process. Blogs are well matched to emergency situations in which other forms of communication fail because the technologies that enable blogs, including the Internet and text-messaging, tend to be more resilient. When land lines, cell phones, and traditional utilities failed in New York City on September 11, the text-messaging capability of the BlackBerry proved to be one of the most effective sources of information exchange between individuals (Krim, 2001; Romero, 2001; Tam, 2001). Because uploading and downloading of Web content can occur wirelessly on the BlackBerry, it is also an effective vehicle for mass communication, including the dissemination of information through blogs. During prolonged power outages, the BlackBerry can run 24 hours a day for up to a week off a single charge (Holsendolph, 2001).

But then, my question is, “we also have other forms of media to give us information other than these blogs, so why should we choose these if we have other medium which could we have that do not require internet to give us information?”. According to the authors, ” As both a redundant technology and a vehicle to give voice and access to average people, blogs are a must-have addition to crisis communication toolkits. Although several of the functions we identified in these blogs are also represented in mass media, such as information and political communication, they serve an important function during crises when traditional mass media may not be able to provide the information available to bloggers because of limited accessibility to the affected areas. It would be interesting for future research to examine if these functions differ in other crisis situations either past or future.” In this point I agree, more reliable information could be given credibly and accurately than any form of media could give.

Constant communication through use of technology is changing the way people think of themselves and how they communicate. They can get attention, always be heard, and never have to be alone. Connecting electronically can also lead to isolation. Understanding the prospective of critical sociology and how media practices impact what is seen as normal affects society’s values. The ease of connecting through technology and communicating online does have an impact on culture locally and globally as more and more people choose to communicate online instead of in person.

 

 

References:

Macias, W., Hilyard, K., &Freimuth, V. Blog Functions as Risk and Crisis Communication During Hurricane Katrina. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication. (2009)