Why Technology Matters

Technology is progressing at a rate that is too rapid for us humans to handle. As a result, the main purpose of “The Human Factor,” by Kim Vincente, “Cat’s Cradle,” by Kurt Vonnegut and, “ Technology Matters” by David Nye express one thing in common. The one thing in common they express is to make their readers aware of the changing technology around us. These authors stride to address how technology has affected us both positively and negatively in the past, how it is affecting us now, and how it might affect us in the future. The ideas in these texts are focus on why technology matters. These three authors have really interesting ideas, which reveal their own personal thoughts and concerns about technology. Each author expresses his thoughts and concerns by elaborating on other’s views of technology as well as their own.

I find all these texts to be really intriguing because each text is compose and written differently, yet they express the same ideas about technology. The ideas, which these texts focus on is why technology matters rather than why it is important or why it is not important. Every author’s approach to accomplishing this goal is unique. In “The Human Factor,” Vincente clearly addresses and make his readers aware that the progress of technology is improving and advancing way too fast for an average human to handle. Vonnegut composes the story “Cat’s cradle,” and uses it to express his views on technology and to make his readers visualize the possibility of how technology can one day end this world. Finally, in “Technology Matters,” Nye addresses multiple questions that asks his readers to think and see how technology affect us from both perspective.

In his texts, Vincente says that we are adapting to technology as if we are “moving at a speed of light.” (Pg.13) He also writes, “More and more technology is being foisted upon us at a faster and faster pace.” (Pg.13) I think Vincente tries to explain here that it is just arduous to try and keep up with technology because before we learn how to use it, there is already a more advance version of it out there. To a large degree, I strongly agree with what Vincente is pointing out here because I am not a very technical person. I don’t use the latest piece of technical gear out there and don’t try to because it is just too complicated and a waste of money. For instance, such as the IPod, I use to think that it is best to get the latest version because it has “everything.” As soon as you get the latest version of it, a new one comes out with even more features. Honestly, I like everyone else wants to latest version of it too, but wasting money to buy a new one is not wroth it. The whole process of trying to figure out how it works just complicates everything.

In comparison to Vincente, Vonnegut expresses his thoughts and concerns about technology quite differently. Instead of presenting his readers with facts and information, he composes a story, which was able to provide his views about technology. In this story, Vonnegut creates this character name Johah in which he sets off on an adventure to find out about the creator of the atom bomb and writes a book which he plans to title it “The Day the World Ended.” Vincente uses this book as his implement to communicate about his views on the changing technology. He shows us how technology might affect not just the people who uses it but also those who don’t. At the end of his story, he shows us how one day technology can possibly end the world. I think that this story is a really interesting approach to expressing his thoughts about why technology matters.

In “Technology Matters, Nye addresses many interesting questions relates to the title. Within the questions he poses himself, he attempts to reply in an interesting way. Nye approach to answer his own question that enables his readers to see that technology matters because it brings both positive and negative effects. In his attempt, I find that he is very successful as to providing evidence and facts to clarify this point of view on technology. For example, one question he addresses is “Sustainable abundances, or ecological crisis?” This question asks if technology has bring us sustainable abundances or has it created more ecological crisis? Inquiring such a question himself, Nye reacts and replies in an interesting manner. Nye approaches to answer this remarkable question in a way that enables his readers to see that technology can create both sustainable abundance and ecological crisis. In his attempt, he gives his own personal thoughts and provides facts to support his point. Instead of arguing for one side, Nye is not for or against neither. Nye elaborates on how technology has been useful in agriculture and industrializations but at the same time, it creates many ecological problems. Nye points out that technology in “agriculture development illustrated how industrialization creates more wealth, more jobs, and more goods.” (pg.90) Technology can help to create these abundances, but many environmental problems existed because, “technology also affect the air, which carries traces of smoke, microscopic particles, pollen, carbon monoxide, and dust.” (pg. 89) Nye draws from several sources such as statistics, facts, and views from other people who were against technology and also who encouraged it to help support his own personal thoughts when replying to such a question that he poses. In conclusion, Nye believes that, “technologies have been use to create abundance, but at a high environmental cost.” (pg. 98)

In conclusion, all of these authors share a similar concern and purpose in their writing. All of them wanted to express how they feel about technology and perhaps reach out and influence their readers. Again, because technology is advancing too fast and it is unstoppable, I believe that the main purpose of all these texts is to somehow to make their readers take a closer look at what technology has really done for us and to consider how it might affect us in the future.