According to the dictionary, "humans" are characterized by their ability to have a highly developed brain capable of reason, language and problem solving. These qualities make us "humans." We are self aware and are able to understand each other. In the book, We Are Not a Gadget, Jaron Lanier, makes us think deeper about our role as individuals. He asks the reader "what is a person? and goes on to explain that if he "knew the answer to that, he might be able to program an artificial person in a computer. but he can't being that a person is is not a pat formula, but a quest, a mystery, a leap of faith." Our roles as humans and our ability to comprehensive and enhance our own ideas is limited to a source that does the work for us. The "Internet" and general use of the computer is able to reason and is a problem solver. The Internet seems to solve problems humans have a longer time solving. It is scary to think that humans and the use of technology are becoming so similar. This "gadget" Jaron Lanier focuses on in his book really helped me understand the deeper impact the Internet has on our daily life. His arguments were valid in making me understand this " lock in" concept of the Internet. A concept which helped me understand the idea in which the Internet has become a source that sucks humans in because of the way it facilitates our life.
A very important point that I liked in the book was Lanier's explanation about technologies grand affect on people and how it alters people's life. I think it was an idea that many of us can relate to. Many of us cant imagine a world without the Internet. The Internet is a source of communication and a social network in which people connect and interact with each other. Millions of people are connected to the Internet each day. Any alternation a web page can have can have a different impact on people and the way they perceive the information they are receiving. The Internet has a profound influence in our lives. Many times these "gadgets" humans created ourselves can become almost in a sense a guide in the way we live. Lanier states that when " developers of digital networks design a program that requires you to interact with a computer as if it were a person, they ask you to accept in some corner of your brain that you might also be conceived as a program." This particular sentence stood out to me because of how radical the idea was. As, I write this blog I am using the Internet. Does that mean that I am being conceived as a program? Internet programmers try to spice things up on the net to keep humans intrigued and in the world the Internet creates.
Lanier goes on to describe the use of popular personal pages people create such as facebook and etc. These websites can tell you about a persons life and within these pages a persons creativity is lost. These personal pages form a new form of "culture." A " web culture" that is taken over really taking away the person's concept of actual reality. These sites were used for commercial use in order to wrap young people into this world. The Internet was constantly finding ways to gain more fans and now of all ages. The Internet has something interesting to offer all humans. However, it is now becoming a part of everyday life. The Internet as described by Lanier starts looking almost like a form of religion! Lanier makes some very powerful statements of the Internet in the first part of his book. He sees it as something that started as a simple tool to inform people and enhance human knowledge that is now overpowering human knowledge.
Lanier really opens up his book with the negative aspects of the web. However, he assures us that not everything in the Internet is a "cruel maze in which people get lost in." He does a great job in explaining to us how the Internet movement became a phenomenon and how it brought revolutionary changes to the world. It brought so many changes to our world that in some way it has almost "human qualities." I really like Lanier starts of the book. He really points out some key important points of Internet usage and makes his book very interesting. Each page intrigued me more. He opened up my eyes to ideas I never really think about as a daily Internet user. The Internet keeps growing and becoming dominate in society. I am interested to see what other points Lanier makes in other parts of the book. Technology is something that we are so dependant on. I personally don't know what I would do without the Internet. However, the Internet has become a source that is dictating the way our life should be. People's creativity,Independence and personalityes are being lost within this simple looking "gadget."
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