On the Progress of Technology

As technology progresses, there is a tendency for devices to be continually designed and redesigned. As devices are modified, does their aesthetic value have a certain trend? Certainly technology is frequently "improved" in some way, shape or form upon being redesigned - as is seen in the development of faster computer processors, less-bulky laptops, and flat screens. But what about their appearance? Is it determined primarily by the aesthetic values of the time, which are neither better nor worse than those of the previous generation? Or does another sort of change happen as well?

As technology advances, it becomes "streamlined". Unnecessary accessories and add-ons drop off, and those which are retained are refined. However, this streamlining process creates a byproduct to the trend. Take a look at the MacBook Air and the iPod. There is absolutely nothing peripheral on these devices, from a purely visual perspective. Similarly, look at the iPhone. There are a million different functions, but just looking at it, it visually very simple. What does all this mean?

The more streamlined a piece of technology is, the less we think of it as an object, the more we think of it as a composite of functions. As technology advances, we look at our devices less as things-that-are and more as things-to-do. If I look at a MacBook Air, I am immediately drawn to use it. What is interesting about this is that I do not first think to myself that I have to do something with a computer, and then proceed to seek out a computer for that explicit purpose. Rather, I first see the computer and then proceed to find something to use it for. Before I look at the computer, there is nothing I need to use it for; but, having seen it, I am in some sense compelled to find a reason to use it.

Is there anything particularly bad about this inversion (proceeding object to purpose, instead of purpose to object)? One might not think so. However, if we value volition for volition's sake (in other words, if we value deliberate acts over deterministic actions), then there is something seriously wrong with the way that technology is progressing. Anyone who mindlessly browses the internet when they have nothing else to do, anyone who calls their friend merely because they are bored, anyone who immediately puts their headphones on when walking out-of-doors, anyone who turns on their television the instant they come home – all of these everyday examples are perfect examples of the danger I am referring to. If you are guilty of doing any of these things (as I am), then you are all-too-aware of how difficult it is to live purposefully nowadays.

The reason for this is not merely that there are more sources of entertainment, pleasure, and distraction today than there were 50 years ago, but also that our distractions are becoming more and more difficult to recognize as objects. You do not use your computer in order to browse the internet; you browse the internet with your computer. You do not use your phone in order to call your friend; you talk to your friend with your phone. Our sources of entertainment are not considered things-that-are (objects); they are considered things-to-do (actions).

There is very little to be done about this. We cannot hope to cut away our dependence on technology, nor can we try to make the devices we depend on more obtrusive. Although it might be desirable to live more simply, it is neither practical for me nor practicable for society to do so. We can only try to make each-other aware of this trend in society, so that we don't forget the value of living deliberately. But, no matter how hard we try to communicate this, it is not the nature of human beings to blindly follow the communicated values of others. It has always been the case that most people do not live their lives purposefully. However, it is my fear that this human tendency is bound to become more and more prevalent as time passes.