I know overall technology has its pros and cons, good and bad, and you could debate about whether it is good or evil all day long. However, I love technology. I think overall it has a positive impact as a whole in my life. My two primary interests in my life are music and sports (mostly college and pro basketball, although I have a lesser interest in college football and the NFL). I spend time watching endless hours of live sports, watching replays of sports, watching endless commentary by broadcasters about sports, and watching athletes recall plays from their sports. I have a podcast with my friends about the NBA. None of this would be possible without technology.
In terms of the information regarding the final post prompt, the writings about television when it began in the 1950s promised that it would bring us together as a country, would expose us to all that was good in the world, and that we would watch Shakespearian plays and symphonies perform classical music all day long. Has some good come from television-of course! Has it been all good? Of course not.
Let me close this post by talking about artificial intelligence and online privacy. Artificial Intelligence will change the world. It will change how we retrieve and share information. ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence chatbot, will allow anyone to prepare a high school level paper on any subject in a matter of minutes. It will change the job market and transform entire industries. There will be many blue collar jobs that will be eliminated because of artificial intelligence. AI will not get sick or have family troubles or not want to be at work. AI will work 24/7 365 without errors.
With all of these changes we need to be concerned about our privacy and online security. How much does Amazon know about what goes on in our homes or what we talk about or search for on our cell phones? If we consciously share the information, that is one thing, but if Alexa “hears” that we are going to buy a new TV and then sends us 50 ads on Facebook about Tvs to buy, that is something different. Most importantly, Alexa knowing what we say in our homes matters because it is a small step to what the government knows about us, our thoughts and our plans.