The Use Of Technology To Infuence Previous Generations Essay Example for Free

The Use Of locomotive room To Infuence Previous Generations EssayIntroductionThere is a prevalent saying that prerequisite is the m another(prenominal) of invention. Most inventions were designed to make our lives more prosperous and to improve our standards of living. The internet was initially designed to provide a accepted communions network that could be routined even if some sites were destroyed by nuclear attack (Howe, 2007). Routers would be used to direct traffic about the network by means of alternate routes if most direct route was non accessible. It was made solely for national defense. In those days, the internet was not exploiter friendly and it was solely used by computer professionals, engineers, scientists and librarians. Due to its complex system, home or personal computers were not available.The Baby Boomers or those who ar within the get on of 43 and to a higher place wipe out seen the advent of telephone, transistor radios, black and white t elevision sets, typewriters and auto runnys that created alternates in the lifestyle of some individuals. As engine room progress, we posterior now see a lot of redbrick appliances and better equipments than ever before. These days, we have digital phones and peregrine phones, mp3 players and iPods, high definition television sets, computers and more forward-looking automobiles.The days of heavy and bulky restrooms that be a lot left at homes and offices argon over. These days, we can see mass walking around carrying a phone, earshot to music or radio on the streets, watching the moderns on their mobile phones and utilize laptops in the restaurants. The functions and the features of these gadgets argon getting better each day. Smaller, slimmer and twinkle gadgets provide comfort and portability for most consumers.We have grown to be totally dependent on engineering. The question that we posit to raise now is for whom was these gadgets designed for? Were the electronic companies targeting the mature consumers or the young generation users? Did the present generation influence the Baby Boomers to use their technology? What are the effects of technological determinism in our lodge and culture?technical Determinism Definedengineering means tools and gadgets such as mobile phone, computer, internet, iPod, etc. season determinism means that it is technology which determines the type and degree of amicable agitate and the course of history (Johnson, 1955).The term technological determinism was coined by Thorstein Veblen, an American sociologist and economist (Chandler, 1996). It refers to the assumption that the newfound technologies are the primary case of major cause of major friendly and historical changes at the macrosocial take of social structure and processes and/or subtle but profound social and psychological influences at the microsocial level of the regular use of particular kinds of tool (ibid.). It is the belief that technology dev elops by its own laws, realizes its own potential, limited only by the material resources available and regarded as an autonomous system controlling and ultimately permeating all other subsystems of society ( mesh Dictionary of Cybernetics and System, n.d.).Marshall McLuhan, the philosopher and electronic media guru defined technological determinism simply as we shape our tools and in turn they shape us (Huster, 2000). McLuhan (1962) state that when media technology was introduced, it has shaped the way people in a society talk, write, feel and suppose and the channels of communication are the primary cause of cultural change. It also change the way our society operates from one technological age to another. Hence, a change in the medium is a change in societys way of communicating. Today, people use mobile phones for wireless communication and instant electronic messaging for talk of the town through computer.Technological determinism is a school of thought believing that techno logy is the single most important factor in determining the mastery of an organization (Oxford University Press, 2005). The advancement of technology is a sign of the countries progress. The creation of technology cannot be avoided. The believers in technological determinism often fear the impact of technology. They are the retrospect of technological progress and oppose the belief that technology is the only determinant of change.Baby Boomers, Generation X and Generation YThe archean Baby Boomers were born(p) mingled with 1946 to 1964 and aged between 43 to 61 (Marchand, 1979). They are starting to retire. Generation X is a term used to describe generations who were born between 1965 and 1980 and aged between 28 to 42 and they are noted for being the most tech friendly generations in American history (Wikipedia, 2007). They are referred to as Gen X, Gen Xers or Xgen. These generations have founded billion-dollar companies like Yahoo, Google, and You-tube among others.The term Generation Y is used to describe those children born between 1981 to 1995 (Markiewicz, 2003). Today, the term has changed to include anyone born as early as 1976 to late as 2000. The term Generation Y is often shortened to Gen Y, Gen Yers or Ygen or Gyen. They are primarily children of the Baby Boomers.Baby Boomers and engineering scienceNew research maneuvers that the Baby Boomers nowadays are overwhelmed by high-tech gadgets that often make them feel embarrassed, unhappy or plain dumb (Hendrick, 2005). The age of the person is a factor that contributes to the feeling of intimidation. Only 36 per centumage of those who are below the age of 40, said that they were tech-shy. However, 43 share of those who are above 40 and 49 percent for those who are 55 and above claimed to be intimidated.Among the 28,000 people interviewed, close to 50 percent of those who are junior than 40 alter to new technology while 29 percent of those older than 40 are not willing to try out the new gad gets. Findings also show that the new gadgets are not attractive to people who are use corrective lenses. Hence, some products need to be redesigned without complicated instructions and intimidating features if companies set apart to attract the older Baby Boomers.A strong likeence for a valet de chambre guide or instructor on the usage of any gadget is evident for those who are 50 years old and above. These people are intimidated, annoyed and less patient to read the instructions written on the manual and prefer sales people to show them how to operate a digital camera, mobile phone, TiVo, iPod or PDA. The rapid change of technology magnified their inability to crack up and accept change. Just when they are comfortable with the gadget that they have mastered, a new one emerge on the market that makes them feel that they need to relearn things all over again when they upgrade their device.Although more women are using instant messaging on computers or cellphones, gender is not a factor in terms of being intimidated with the new gadgets. Age body to be a deciding factor in their acceptance of these new devices. The older they are, the less interested they become. It is very common that older people have poor eyesight and they have difficulties in reading the messages, menus, icons and toolbars. Therefore, when manufacturers design products, they essential consider the needs of the aging population.The Influence of TechnologyThe present technological environment is the major crossroad in the history of communication. Today so many a(prenominal) people rely on the internet as a source of information and a medium of communication. Instead of going to the post office to hop out the letters that we have written, we use the email as a quicker and convenient means of communication. The internet has also provided a cheaper means of communication. Now, people use the broadband to apply in touch with anyone instead of spending for costly overseas calls. Studen ts use the internet to do their research homework instead of using the school or public libraries.People read the give-and-take on the internet instead of reading the newspaper or watching the news on television. Some prefer to shop online instead of going to the department store. On one hand, technology has reduced time consumption, eliminated the inconvenience of traveling, and facilitated inexpensive global communication. On the other hand, the electronic advantage has also made tender interaction and socialization suffer as a lot of people these days prefer to spend so much time staying in front of their personal computers. The ultimate effect of the internet is undefined and unpredictable. Its long term impact remains uncertain. However, the internet is a typical example where we shaped a tool, and now that tool is shaping us.In the 1700s, fossil coal was developed as a source of energy when England ran out of wood. However, the continuous digging of coal mines resulted in a flood and the removal of water from the mines using hand operated pumps became inadequate. Hence, the steam engine was developed to solve the problem.As time progresses, the steam engine was used in textile factories, locomotives, steamboats, farm equipment and power plants that resulted in an increase demand for iron, blade and coal (Merkel, 2000). This demand resulted in large-scale coal and iron ore mining and steel plants. Labor union movement and industrial revolution emerged that gave rise to human progress and wealth. The steam engine is also a classic example of technological determinism.Mobile Technology for all GenerationsIn terms of interrelateive technology, mobile phones and internet usage are widely used around the world. In a study made by InsightExpress (2007), 80 percent of the 2015 mobile respondents in the USA owned a mobile phone, while 78 percent of the Americans have internet access spread evenly across the generations. Leading the view is Gen Y (ages 18-24) at 85 percent, followed closely by Gen X (25-44) at 82 percent, younger Baby Boomers (45-54) at 80 percent, and older Baby Boomers (55-64) at 79 percent.With regards to their plans in upgrading their mobile devices, over half of Gen Y-ers and 37 percent for Gen X-ers plan to upgrade next year or so, and 30 percent of younger Boomers and 24 percent of older Boomers plan to upgrade next year. This indicates that all generations want the latest mobile gadgets.In terms of having mobile phones that allow users to connect to people and information in a variety of ways, 51 percent of Gen Y-ers have mobile phones that can access the internet followed by 47 percent of Gen X-ers, 39 percent of younger Boomers and 32 percent of older Boomers. This shows that the Boomers are not far behind from the Gen Y-ers and Gen X-ers. In addition, 75 percent of younger Boomers have text messaging capabilities, 54 percent have ring tones, and 52 percent have camera phones.Mobile BehaviorSending text message s is a cheaper means of communication in comparison with making phone calls. Forty-three percent of the Gen Y sends text messages on a daily basis while 16 percent of the younger Boomers and 10 percent of older Boomers text daily. This may be attributed to the fact that the Gen Y-ers are not as financially still as the Baby Boomers hence their preferences for an economical mode of communication. A strong preference for calling instead of sending text messages may be due to the Boomers desire for a faster and easier ways of communicating.When it comes to accessing the mobile internet daily, the survey finds that 8 percent of Gen Y uses the mobile internet while 4 percent of the younger Boomers and 3 percent of the older Boomers do so. The temptation of using the mobile phones is strong for individuals of all ages. In spite of the laws in many states against using mobile phones while driving, the survey reveals that 47 percent of Gen Y-ers, 42 percent of Gen X-ers, 37 percent of you nger Boomers and 28 percent of older Boomers send and possess text messages while driving. All generations engage in the practice of talking on the phone without a hands-free device.The research conducted by InsightExpress clearly shows that mobile technology is widely used and accepted by the consumers regardless of their age. Although the Gen X-ers and the Gen Y-ers grew up with the sophisticated gadgets, the Boomers have managed to adapt to the rapidly changing technology. Regardless of whether the internet or mobile devises were designed, produced and marketed today or tomorrow, people of all generations will accept anything that would make their lives comfortable.Generation GapAlthough there are studies made that the older generations are piteous towards acceptance of the technology of the present generation, a generation gap still exist in terms of the usage of the latest gadgets. A survey and news articles revealed that a conflict between generations exist when it comes to using online services (Pew/Internet American Life Project, 2005). While the younger generations are impatient with the older generations sputum to adopt the latest online product, there is a strong value for privacy among the older generation who believe that any private information should not be published on the internet (Nussbaum, 2007).Hence, while the youngsters are having fun with the social networking tool as MySpace, Skype, ot YouTube, in searching for friends, and contacts, the oldsters still prefer a face-to-face contact (Hamm, 2007). They also use the information superhighway to post videos to and pictures of their weddings, and the birth of their children.Teenagers prefer to use instant messaging or text messaging for talking to friends to reach them wherever they are or post to a communications network and they use e-mail to communicate with old people and with their professors (Carnevale, 2006). Although 86 percent of more than 1,300 students at the University of Ill inois at Chicago have not given up on email, they often consider messages coming from their colleges a form of netmail (ibid.).People who are born from the internet generation have innate technological skills and they require little or no training in usage. This however, does not suggest that older adults do not go online. They also use the internet for banking activities, do online shopping, share pictures of their families, and download music and movies. The big difference lies in the fact that the seniors have the money to pay for these activities.The older groups were not as fast to pick up on the information on a Web site and they do not see the links as quickly as the younger group (Zook, 2007). The web designs are not as comfortable to the older generations although suppliers of user generated online content are not age restricted and all generations are included when describing social networking phenomenon (Dye, 2007).The major purpose of using new technology in creating bl ogs, website, emails or text or instant messages is to enable the users to communicate effectively and to connect people with a shared purpose, regardless of whether they travel to the generations of Baby Boomers, X-ers or Y-ers. What matters is to know how to reach them in their own world and in their own preferred medium.Technological DeterminismOne of the debates in the field of science, technology and society studies is whether technology has shaped society or has society influenced the learning of technology. The former is associated with technological determinism and notions of technology as a force dominating other basic social institutions. The latter is associated with social construction of technology.Langdon Winner was the leading defender of some aspects of the technological determinism thesis in his first book, Autonomous Technology Technics-out-of-Control (Cutchliffe and Mitcham, 2001). In the chapter Do Artifacts Have Politics? of his second book, The Whale and the Reactor A Search for Limits in an Age of High Technology, Winner noted the raillery of the contentions of the strongest defenders of technology who felt that although technology is beneficial, it is impossible to change the direction of its emergence.With this contention, we can now question ourselves as to whether our history has been defined by its technologies considering the technological phylogeny of our times. If we trace our technological development, we can say that we have progressed from stone age, iron age and now computer age. If the change in technology is good for all, why cant we just accept and live with it? If technology is not good, why is there an absence of control in its progress and why is there no move in stopping technology? These questions can help us assess the strength or weakness of the independent force that technology has brought in our culture.The focus on technology and society debates was believed to be the important features of technology and te chnological change. One can only confess that since Generation Y has grown with technology and Generation X started to modernized technology, they may welcome its progress and changes without even considering about its outcome in the society. In contrast, the economist, historians and social theorists would continue to stress that the force of technological change followed a path where its outcomes are predictable. To understand the effects of these changes will lead us to look into the effects of modernization on human communication.Modernization means the appearance of modes of social life or organization that emerged in Europe from about the ordinal century onwards which became worldwide in their influence (Giddens, 1991). Modernization theory has evolved in three waves and it explains the changing ways of communication and media use in tralatitious and post modern societies (University of Twente, 2004). The first wave of theory produced three variants in the development of e conomic, literacy and cultural and national identity most of which have been discredited because of their pro-Western solidus (McQuail, 2000). The second wave of modernization theory does not support but criticize the influence of Western modernization that became popular in the 1970s and mid-eighties (Schiller, 1976).The third wave of theory that has risen in the 1990s attempts to expose the contradictions in the modernization process and explains the consequences of modernity for individuals in modern-day society (Giddens, 1991a, 1991b). It is incomplete in favor nor against modernization. Giddens showed that while traditional society is based on direct interaction between people living close to each other, modern society is characterized by time-space distantiation and disembedding mechanisms. Hence, Van Dijk (1993) stressed that the rise of computer networks and mobile telephony is an important tool for modern life. This will enable us to keep our interactions with people acr oss the globe. As Stewart Brand (1995) explains to the readers of Wired magazine, Technology is rapidly accelerating and you have to keep up.Technology is the product of human action and the result of the deeds of dynamic processes. As the outcome of past action and constraint, it has the potential to shape and enable action. It is not analogous to social structure because it takes material form hence, technology does not acquire the status of a natural resource. Technology is always a product of human action and intimacy and always requires further knowledge and action to maintain and reproduce it (Garnsey, 1994). The experience of technology is often the experience of an ineluctable force which structures our way of life in ways we cannot control, as the forces of nature might do (Hill, 1988).An analysis of technology is presented in studies of the sociology of science and technology (Latour, 1987 Bijker et al., 1989) and resolves many of the problems of determinism that gave r ise to the mechanical conceptions of technology. Barley (1986) and Orlikowski (1990) have shown that the concepts of structuration theory can be applied to the analysis of the role of technology in organizations and in social systems. But because technology takes material form, it may be misleading to treat it as a structural property of social systems as Orlikowski (1990) has proposed.Unlike technology, social structures and structural properties have no material existence. Social structures exist by legality of the knowledge and actions of those who instantiate them through their practices structure is seen as both medium and outcome of human action (Giddens, 1984). The carnal interactions which are manifestations of social structure are not exhaustive of the relationships associated with those interactions in giving primacy to physical interaction certain behavioral approaches come close to reifying social structure (Wellman and Berkowitz, 1988).Social structures draw on shared knowledge, on rules and roles, on shared symbolism and mutual expectations. Unlike social structure, technology can take material form. Technology has a physical form and is manifest as a set of entities, though a broader conception includes the knowledge and social practices required to create and activate technology. The problem of hypostatisation does not arise in relation to technology. With the growth of information systems, technologies have a symbolic dimension in the written word and number, reminding us that social systems are made up of symbolic as well as physical interaction.Mowery and Rosenberg (1979) pointed out that human needs are almost infinite and often long felt, and cannot explain the emergence of a particular invention at a certain time. They also criticized a series of confusing studies undertaken in the sixties and 1970s which illustrated market demand as the force behind innovation. Eventually, Mowery and Rosenberg came to the conclusion that innovation i s the result of the interaction between science and technology push factors (Katsikides, 1994).freewoman (1987) states that new technological systems can offer such great technical and economic advantages to a wide range of industries and services that their adoption becomes a necessity in any economy exposed to competitive economic, social, political and military pressures. Increasingly in this century, the world-wide diffusion of such new techno-economic paradigms dominates the process of technical change for several decades and powerfully influences economic and social developments even though it does not uniquely determine them (ibid.).Technological developments, like other social, economic and technical approaches, are not socially neutral, and in the end they deal with different traditions e.g. European, US, Scandinavian, Japanese, etc. (Katsikides, 1997). They accumulate social processes and reflect them, or, as Thomas Kuhn (1970), put it, a mischance to assimilate fully new conditions and technology will strain the existing structures of society.ConclusionAs we examine the progress of technology, we cannot deny the impact that technological development and innovation has brought to our society. Although researches have shown that the latest gadgets are challenging and frustrating for the Baby Boomers, there are studies that also revealed that this generation have accepted the use of the internet and mobile phones for communication. Although generation gap exists in terms of technology usage among the Baby Boomers, Generation X and Generation Y, there are companies today that are designing user friendly gadgets for the Baby Boomers. This only shows that the industry has seen a growing market for the older group of people who are financially perpetual and have better purchasing capabilities. Hence, the design of the future technology will be made for all generations regardless of age.Technology, being a product of human action and knowledge, require fu rther knowledge and action for its maintenance and reproduction. It has structured our way of life in ways we cannot control. The use of technology to enhance communication has greatly influence people to adapt to the medium that will enable them to send and receive messages that are commonly use by the norm.This explains that with every development of new systems of technology, our culture or society will change and adapt to that technology. There is no end to the continuous development and improvement of technology because we are living in a fast paced world where everyone spends more time away from home. Changes are inevitable and necessary. The theory of technological determinism will only be proven wrong if a new technology is invented and nothing changes in our society.BibliographyBarley, S. (1986). Technology as an occasion for structuring evidence from observation of CT scanners and the social mark of radiology departments. Administrative Science Quarterly, 31, 78-108.Bijke r, W., Hughes, T. and Pinch, T. (1989). The social construction of technology. Cambridge MA MIT Press.Brand, S. (1995). Two Questions, in Scenarios The Future of the Future. Wired, 3(11) 28-46.Carnevale, D. (2006). E-Mail is for Old People, by Chronicle of Higher discipline Information Technology. October 6, 2006. Retrieved declination 24, 2007 from http//chronicle.com/free/v53/i07/07a02701.htm.Chandler, C. (1996). Shaping and Being Shaped. CMC Magazine. February 1, 1996. Retrieved December 25, 2007 from http//www.december.com/cmc/mag/1996/feb/ chantd.html.Cutchliffe, S. and Mitcham, C. (Eds.) (2001). Visions of sts counterpoints in science, technology, and society studies. New York State University of New York Press.Dijk, J.A.G.M. van (1993b). colloquy Networks and Modernization. Communication Research, 20(3), 384 407.Dye, J. (2007). Meet Generation C Creatively Connecting Through Content. Information Age.Freeman, C. (1987). Technology policy and economic performance lessons fro m Japan. London Printer Publishers.Giddens, A. (1984). The constitution of society portray of the theory of structuration. Oxford Polity Press.Giddens, A. (1991a). The Consequences of Modernity. Cambridge Polity Press.Giddens, A. (1991b). Modernity and self identity self and society in the late modern age. Cambridge Polity Press.Hamm, S. (2007). Children of the Web How the Second-Generation Internet is Spawning a Global early days Culture-And What Business Can Do to Cash In. Business Week, 51.Hendrick, B. (2005). High Tech Intimidates Many Baby Boomers As They Move Into Midlife. Cox intelligence operation Service. February 22, 2005. Retrieved December 22, 2007 from http//www.pulsejournal.com/news/content/shared/news/nation/stories/0222_TECH_BOOMERS.html.Hill, S. (1988). The tragedy of technology. London Pluto Press.Howe, W. (2007). A Brief History of the Internet. An anecdotal history of the people and communities that brought about the Internet and the Web. January 16, 2007. Ret rieved December 26, 2007 from http//www.walthowe.com/navnet/history.html.Huster, K. (2000). Technological Determinism. March 6, 2000. Retrieved December 24, 2007 from http//oak.cats.ohiou.edu/kh380597/TD.htm.InsightExpress (2007). Baby Boomers Increasingly Embrace Mobile Technology. September 25, 2007. Retrieved December 23, 2007 from http//www.marketingvox.com/archives/2007/09/25/ baby-boomers-embracing-mobile-technology/.InsightExpress (2007). Does ur grandma text? New Research from InsightExpress Finds Baby Boomers Are Embracing Mobile Technology. Retrieved December 22, 2007 from http//insightexpress.com/release.asp?aid=371.Johnson, N. (1955). Technological Determinism. Retrieved December 23, 2007 from http//www.uiowa.edu/cyberlaw/writing/techdet.html.Katsikides, S. (Ed.) (1994). Informatics, organization and society. Wien-Muenchen, Oldenbourg.Katsikides, S. (1997). Sociology and the Functions of Technological Autonomy. unveiling The European Journal of Social Sciences, 10(2).K uhn, T. (1970). The structure of scientific revolutions. University of Chicago Press.Latour, B. (1987). Science in action. Milton Keynes, Open University Press.Marchand, P. (1979). Life Inside the Population Bulge The scared, scrambling lives of the Boomies. Saturday Night Magazine. October, 1979. Retrieved December 23, 2007 from http//www.itseemslikeyesterday.com/1998_fall/article_boomies.asp.Markiewicz, P. (2003). Whos Filling Gen-Ys shoes? May 5, 2003. Retrieved December 23, 2007 from http//www.brandchannel.com/start1.asp?id=156.Mcluhan, M. (1962). The gutenberg galaxy the making of typograhic man. Toronto University of Toronto Press.McQuail, D. (2000). Mcquails mass communication theory, 4th edition. London Thousand Oaks.Merkel, K.G. (2000). Engineering Technology and Technological Determinism. Journal of Engineering Technology. Retrieved December 22, 2007 from http//findarticles.com/p/ articles/mi_qa3979 /is_200004/ai_n8883860.Mowery, D. and Rosenberg, N. (1979). The Influence of Market Demand upon Innovation. Research Policy, 8(2).Nussbaum, E. (2007). Say Everything New York Magazine, February 12, 2007. Retrieved December 23, 2007 from http//www.nymag.com/news/features/27341/index.html.Orlikowski, W. (1990). The Duality of Technology Rethinking the opinion of Technology in Organizations. Organizational Science, 3, 398-427.Oxford University Press. (2005). Principles of Organizational Behaviour 4e Glossary. Retrieved December 25, 2007 from http//www.oup.com/uk/orc/bin/ 9780199253975/01student/glossary/glossary.htmPew/Internet American Life Project (2005). Teens and Technology Youth are leading the transition to a fully wired and mobile nation. July 27, 2005. Retrieved December 23, 2007 from http//www.pewinternet.org/report_display.asp?r=162.Schiller, H.I. (1976). Communication and cultural domination. New York International Arts and Sciences Press.University of cardinal (2004), Modernization Theory. Retrieved on December 28, 2007 from http//www.tcw.utwe nte.nl/theorieenoverzicht/Theory%20clusters/ Media, %20Culture %20and%20Society/Modernization%20Theory.doc/Web Dictionary of Cybernetics and Systems (n.d.). Technological Determinism. Retrieved December 24, 2007 from http//pespmc1.vub.ac.be/asc/TECHNO_DETER.htmlWellman, B. and Berkowity, S. (1988). Social structures a network approach. Cambridge Cambridge University Press.Wikipedia (2007). Generation X. Retrieved December 23, 2007 from http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_XZook, G. (2007). Technology and the Generation Gap. August 27, 2007. Retrieved December 22, 2007 from http//www.llrx.com/features/generationgap.htm.