What is Technology?

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What is Technology? by Mind Map: What is Technology?

1. My Prior Understanding of Technology

1.1. Products

1.1.1. Car

1.1.2. Computer

1.2. Tools

1.2.1. Scissors

1.2.2. Pencil

1.2.3. Hammer

1.3. Services

1.3.1. Social Media

1.3.2. Apps

1.3.3. Costumer Service

2. I believe technology is anything created by humans that is designed to improve our daily lives by making tasks easier or more efficient through products, tools and services.

3. My Current Understanding of Technology

3.1. What Remained the Same

3.1.1. In the video What is Technology by the author explains that "technologies are things created by humans that can make our lives easier or solve problems" (nusys, 2019, 0:22). He also provides examples, such as indoor plumbing, which delivers water to our homes, making life more convenient (Nusys, 2019, 0:39).

3.1.2. In a video by Charles Tuck, he references a definition of technology from his phone, which states, "technology is knowledge or a set of tools that helps make things easier or resolve a problem" (Charles, 2019, 0:42). He also provides examples of how technology simplifies our lives, such as using pen and paper to record and reference others’ knowledge, rather than relying on memorization (Charles, 2019, 1:06).

3.2. What Changed

3.2.1. One of the concepts exlained by Dyer, J. (2009) in his article have broaden my horizon when I read it. The concept was Technology as Methodology "Methodological thinking trickles into our lives every time we say, “Let’s try to standardize that” whether it be a recipe, a Bible study, or a parenting method. In doing so, we are putting together a set of actions, and making it a way of doing things – a technique." (Dyer, J, 2009, para. 4).

3.2.2. When Kevin Kelly (TED Talks, 2010, 10:05) posed the question, "What are the general trends in evolutionary life?" he explained that everything in life is in a constant state of movement toward greater diversity, specialization, and, most importantly, evolvability. He argued that these same trends are also present in technology, which is accelerating all aspects of life. Just as life grows more diverse, the things we create, like technology, ideas, and systems, are also becoming more complex, and adaptable.

4. I believe my definition prior to reviewing the course materials was aligned with what I watched and read in module 2 from the Techno Human course, however, my understanding of Technology has evolved. I now view our human bodies and our knowledge as an added technology I haven’t think of before watching the videos and reading the articles. In addition to that I haven’t thought about rules, processes, protocols, methods and so on to be social technologies, in fact, the term social technology is new to me, and it makes sense after reading and watching about it.

5. Both videos are in line with my previous understanding of technology when I explained that technology is designed to improve our daily lifes by making more efficient.

6. Why do we need new technologies?

7. I never thought of technology as a concept or method before. I always saw it as just a tool. But now I realize that our knowledge and skills are also forms of technology, driving new ideas and creations.

8. Kevin Kelly's (2010) video opened my mind to new possibilities. His discussion of life and technology made me reflect on Darwin’s theory of evolution and how we’ve adapted to survive over the years. I now see that every form of evolution; big or small, abstract or concrete, is also a form of technology.

9. References: nusys. (2019, November 14). What is Technology [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Px5z-dG531c charles tuck. (2019, July 22). What is Technology? [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9CzjdrFgiY&t=3s Dyer, J. (2009, December 27). Defining the word “Technology” . . . four times. Perma.cc record. https://perma.cc/FV4Q-FNNC TED. (2010, February 22). Kevin Kelly tells technology's epic story [Video]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GS1xL1qcBa4&t=1s

10. Kevin Kelly (2010), while discussing technology, acknowledged that progress is real but also raised an important question: “What are the environmental costs of it?” (TED, 2010, 11:39). I believe new technology is closely linked to capitalism. Technology equals profit—the more new technologies emerge, the more companies profit. Beyond creating new products, technology is designed to make jobs more efficient, but this often leads to fewer jobs. When companies focus solely on profit, they often overlook the broader impacts—not just on employment, but also on the environment. New technologies often make older ones obsolete, turning them into waste, which has significant environmental consequences, including contributing to climate change. Everything is interconnected. While we can't deny the benefits that technology brings, we must also consider the environmental and social costs of each new innovation. As Kelly (2010) said, “Technology is selfish; technology is generous. That conflict, that tension, will be with us forever: sometimes it wants to do what it wants to do, and sometimes it’s going to do things for us.” (TED, 2010, 12:18). Ultimately, I believe technology will be key to fixing the damage caused by previous technologies, and it could even be our best hope for addressing climate change.