The idea of progress : Should we fear technological progress?

Idea of progress:

I’m going to talk about « Idea of progress ». To begin with, I’d like to state a definition of progress. Progress is the idea that the world and the society can evolve positively in therms of sciences, technology, modernization, living condition, etc. However, the idea of progress is still debate between those who consider that it’s beneficial and those for whom it’s harmful. Now, I propose we look at a question: « Should we fear technological progress? »

To explain this problem, I will present 3 documents seen in class:

At first we watched an American TV report about technology Katie expert who went on a digital detox in a hotel in Pittsburgh. The hotel offers a 15% discount on your stay if you are willing to go tech free. When she arrived at the hotel lobby she had to deposit all her electronic devices without exception. She had crossword looks in her room but she found them boring. Finally she found this experience very difficult. We can say she had restless fingers syndrome. From this point of view, we can be afraid of progress that leads to addiction and a feeling of lack without all our devices. It can almost be said that very few people will be able to live without.

The second document it’s an audio recording that involves two journalists (Audie Cornish, Melissa Block), as well as Dr. Dan Cohen, with his patient with Alzheimer's, Henry. The audio talk about a part of a documentary called “Alive Inside”, which follows social worker Dan Cohen as he creates personalized iPod playlists for people in elder care facilities, hoping to reconnect them with the music they love. Cohen tells NPR's Melissa Block that the video of Henry is a great example of the link between music and memory."He is able to actually answer questions and speak about his youth, and this is sort of the magic of music that's familiar for those with dementia,".With this example we can think that the technology is beneficial for some people, in this case treat diseases without the obligation to inflict heavy treatment to patients.

The third document is an advert for Kit Kat. There are two girl sittigs on a bench, they having a real conversation in a Free No Wifi Zone. Kit Kat tries to encourage people to socialize in real life. Yet we can wonder how genuine they are as markets and want to sell Kit Kat with this ad. This shows us how much each person is abusing technology, they only live for it, and it becomes unfortunate. So we can think that the brand wants to advertise its products by raising awareness of their behaviour towards technology. Even if it comes from a brand and their intention can be discussed we must still question ourselves and think that technology can scare us as we comfort, otherwise we would not use it as much. 

To conclude we must not be afraid of technological progress but we must apprehend it. It is beneficial for everyone but we must keep in mind that there is not that in our life, make an effort so that it is not a brake on our life but an advance that will allow us to better to appreciate. 

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