Dystopianism and Computer Romanticism

Computer romanticism, the idolization of computer technology and belief of its strictly positive effect on society, has become a very large aspect of today’s culture. With computer technology being a considerable part of everyday life, people have come to love, without question, the power and simplicity that technology has provided us. People have felt this way for a seemingly good reason; just look at all technology has provided us, and, further, what it is capable of providing. In his article “Mythinformation,” Langdon Winner provides the reader with some of these “amazing” technological possibilities, before he approaches his dystopian viewpoint. “Professionals in widely separate fields¾doctors, lawyers, corporate managers, and scientists¾comment on the changes computers have brought to their work. Home consumers give testimonials explaining how personal computers are helping educate their children, prepare their income tax forms, and file their recipes.” (Winner 589.) So then what is the problem? Everyone appears to be happy. Children are learning, adults can keep things organized, and professionals are now able to work more efficiently. The problem lies within how blindly society has begun to accept new technologies as just a new way of life and do not question the negative effects that could come about such a strong reliance. This follows closely along the idea of technological determinism, presented in “The Technology and the Society,” by Raymond Williams. Technological determinism is a concept that states, “technology is the primary force that controls how individuals and society change.” (Winston) If this truly is the case, then our society is helpless to change, as we are, at this point, incapable of stopping the advancement of technology.

With most people thinking solely of the positive effects of recent technology, Winner’s beliefs almost appear blasphemous to the reader the first time through. Winner begins by touching base on how advances in technology, though seemingly an enhancement for nearly all citizens, is actually just a way for the already powerful and rich to maintain their positions above the rest of the population. Winner goes even further to say that these technological advances provide a “threat to privacy,” are beginning to remove all social aspects of human life, and will potentially restructure political order. Technological dystopianism, the idea that new technology can have a negative effect on society and create worse living conditions, is a grim topic that does need to be discussed. Being a technological utopist myself, it is difficult to address this side of the spectrum, for it causes doubt on a technology that only seemed to have a positive side. The negative ideas that Winner brings forth are all valid points; new technology is not perfect and it can and will be used for the wrong reasons. To say that the computer revolution will be influenced by “the absent mind” (Winner 597) seems to be going a bit far. Every aspect of life has its positives and its negatives, these cannot be avoided, but it is important to weigh the pros and the cons to determine whether or not such a technology should be used. With respect to Langdon Winner’s viewpoint, recent technologies, specifically the computer and the internet, appear to be more advantageous than not.

To more accurately go against Winner’s viewpoints, it would appear to be helpful to dive deeper into his negative perspectives. To begin with, the ideas of “threat to privacy” and “identity theft” are very real aspects of computer technology. One must be extremely careful what information they give out and where they give it out on the Internet, for you never know who is going to obtain this information. Simply being aware of identity theft and knowing what you can do to prevent it is a huge help in being able to stop it from happening to you. By Googling “how to prevent identity theft,” one can actually use technology as a way to stop this technological negative. As for eliminating social aspects of human life, it all depends on which way you use technology. For the most part, it seems that people use technology to eliminate pointless social endeavors, such as making a trip to the bank, rather than disconnecting from society as a whole. Facebook and other social networks are technologies that actually promote and assist people in keeping social ties strong. Finally, in addressing the issue of restructuring political order, technology has the possibility of making politics more effective and more involved. Making information more readily available and keeping political figures in contact are just some of the advantages that could potentially strengthen our political system. Having a purely utopian view is a dangerous thing to have, but I suppose I am just hopeful that technology will not betray me.

Justin Japinga