Lesson 1

Here are my insights about the first TWC lesson:

Before coming to class, I assumed TWC would be a course on the different ways that technology has infiltrated our lives, benefiting us in terms of efficiency and how it induced change in the world such that many tasks and jobs can now be completed more quickly with the ever-advancing technology. My opinion on technology has been rather biased in that I only saw its benefits - to me, all I felt before attending this lesson was that the iPhone and MacBook Pro is awesome and I can't live without them. I neglected technology's cons and how it is adversely affecting our world, which I was largely exposed to during this lesson.

During the first half of the lesson, Prof showed us an interesting video, 'Shift happens'. Some shocking facts were presented to us, like how China would become the number one English speaking population soon, the number of used on MySpace could form the 5th largest country in the world, and the number of text messages sent everyday exceeds the total population on Earth. Technology has influenced us so much that our everyday lives are completely reliant on it. It is slowly replacing human labor and the jobs that require human labor today will be replaced by machines. The rapidly advancing technology is threatening to swallow the humanity of mankind. People rarely write letters to each other, or visit each other at their homes, instead, they send text messages, emails and see each other via video chat. In my opinion, I feel that technology is moving way too fast and the world is changing too quickly. Men are lured by the advantages of technology, the gadgets, the efficiency that it brings, that we fail to realize that it is replacing our kind.

Prof also showed us another short video (yes, the videos make the most impression) from the book Guns, Germs and Steel, and there was this glaring question that no one could answer. "Why do White people have so much cargo, and New Guineans, so little?" The video clearly showed the disparity in technology advancement between developed and developing countries, but the question is, why is it so? How is it that in America, children are using iPhones and iPads as communication devices but in New Guinea, the children probably have not seen a television in their lives? I believe that people are aware of this disparity but no one is willing to do anything about it, and those enjoying the luxury is plainly taking it for granted.

I would like to add that Prof is very humorous and I look forward to his next lesson! (: