Week3 CI 4311w
Technology and digitization are everywhere in our life, which provides great convenience to our life. But with the advent of these technologies, is there a moral code to follow? Has it had an impact on the environment on earth? Does it hinder communication between people in real life? Technology is constantly penetrating into every aspect of our lives, such as the emergence of social media on information devices, face recognition, and emotion recognition when obtaining permission and other technologies. In addition, robots and various kinds of software show intelligent behaviors. All this has provided great convenience to our life.
As Diane illustrated in the article called technological ethics in a different voice, “ the rapid growth of modern forms of technology has brought both a threat and a promise for a liberal democratic society”. In my personal experience, technology permeates every aspect of my life. In this day and age, technology is constantly changing, and from the point of view of the simplest mobile devices, it is not long before new technologies and devices are introduced. I can download a lot of different social software on these devices to facilitate my connection with my family, friends, etc. But as communication becomes more convenient, barriers between people are often increased by the advent of technology. The increasing presence of phubbers (in this case, phubbers mean that many people keep their heads down to manipulate electronic devices in public rather than face to face) has led to concerns about whether the development of technology has touched the ethic of social morality.
However, as we all know, everything has both positive and negative effects. We cannot live without the help of technology, so society should impose more restrictions on certain types of technology. In this week’s video, Ted talks about the rise of robots. Cynthia says in the video that they are working on personal robots. The first social robot he mentioned was called Kismet. The ability and interaction of personal robots mimic the way humans live and think, even though they cannot speak a specific language, it does not affect their ability to think and act like ordinary people. However, the emergence of robots also threatens us to some extent. Society should be wary of such a phenomenon.
Moreover, Diane P. Michelfelder (2000) states, “While this paper has suggested that devices can under some conditions further the development of social capital, it is difficult to see how they can be deliberately designed to do so” (p. 285). When I read this sentence, it made me pause and think about it. Different electronic devices have helped me a lot in connecting with my family and friends. This makes me feel the convenience and great importance of technology for life. In today’s society, the capital provides great help for the upgrading of technology. Personal technology can keep each person’s social circle open and consolidated, creating opportunities for closer connections between countries. In terms of the technology that I use in my life, I think of a device that I bought at home that was called Xiao Du. It’s a personal robot made in China. When I call him, he can respond directly and help me provide the recent weather, set the alarm clock, play the video or music I want, etc. Although it is a relatively simple personal robot, it also provides great convenience and helps my life.
I really like the convenience and help that technology gives me. But the development of technology also involves the issue of privacy leakage and the relationship between people. When it comes to privacy, technology is a double-edged sword, such as face recognition, which is widely used on our devices today. On the one hand, it can help us identify sensitive information, but therefore the issue of privacy leakage can become very tricky.
