Shift Happens

This week we must watch a video, Shift Happens, about the information age. Well, brace yourself folks because apparently technology is the apocalypse. Just think, by 2049, a $1,000 computer will exceed the computational ability of the entire human race. I’m not sure exactly what that means, but it does sound frightening, and hey, shift happens. 

There were several interesting facts in this video (as well as exciting music):

·          China has more honors-leveled school children than the United States has children. With all due respect, my first thought and question is: Define children. Are these Chinese children indeed children who are well-rounded and balanced people who know how to live, love, and laugh? Or are they hard-working robots? I don’t know…weren’t those Olympic gymnasts underage, although, yes, very talented?  I think our school system should continue to take education seriously and prepare children by practicing standardized tests, but there is more to life than textbook knowledge and high scores (for instance, balance, health, and happiness).  

·         The top 10 jobs in demand for 2010 did not even exist in 2004. I am curious to know the updated statistics for this. While researching jobs, I admit that I was shocked to learn of many jobs that I had never even heard of. Why are jobs such a significant issue in our economy if there are so many different types and innovations?

·         To whom were questions addressed B.G. (before Google)? There are a variety of questions I search on Google including academics, health, directions, attempts for laughter, etc. Sure, I could have used a textbook or a map for some of my questions, but I don’t know what I would have done for others. (An aside—consider how Gangnam style would not be famous, how people couldn’t comment on political candidates, and how Cyber Monday shopping wouldn’t be possible without the internet and Google searches).

·         Half of what a college student learns in their first year of college will be outdated by their third year.  Great. We’ll be outdated before we obtain a Bachelor’s degree. There goes $50,000…However, I think there is a value to constantly learning and staying up to date. One must always be on his or her toes to continuously learn, grow, evolve, and improve.

·         E-paper will be cheaper than real paper. NO! I love real books! I refuse to give up the scent of fresh, new books. What will happen to public and school libraries? I love having a physical copy of information in front of me, and I will be very upset if all paper items change to electronics, though I guess this could improve our carbon footprints.

·         A week’s worth of the New York Times contains more information than a person was likely to come across during a lifetime in the 18^th century. The amount of information available to people nowadays is incredible. However, do we even utilize it? In some respect, I think this abundance of information can cause some people to tune out. For example, there will be times when I turn off the news, not because I am apathetic towards the world’s affairs, but because I am simply tired of hearing so much noise, though, sometimes I think information becomes white noise when it is so readily available. In other ways, I think we benefit greatly from the variety of information available and people are investing more in education and using their intelligence and skills for their careers.

While the video presents intimidating facts and figures, I think we should be optimistic about our future. With all of the knowledge and information available, there must be some good that we can make of this. As Ulrich Beck and Anthony Giddens claim in Introduction to Sociology, we can shape the world in a positive way.  Changes do not mean that social and political reform are over, especially when values like social community, equality, and caring for the weak and vulnerable are still alive worldwide.