Western cultures vast design and technology development has led to an unfit, inept social climate. Discuss?

[Rachel]

Western cultures vast design and technology development has led to an unfit, inept social climate. Discuss

[Bored Gremlin]

Agree with the statement, and use an illustrating example of nobody in online "communities" willing to help a student with his homework.

[GeorgieGuy]

Hi Rachel,
I must disagree with Bored Gremlin regarding willingness to help those online with homework. A good part of what I do here is just that and I've found quite a few others who also try to help. I refuse, however, to DO the homework of students who come here. I'll provide links and suggestions but always encourage students to do the work necessary to actually LEARN something in their classes. Regarding your question, the notions of "design" and "technology" are complex considerations. A couple of thoughts: Part of our impact in design is a standardization which has the effect of erasing subcultural and regional differences. There's a "sameness" to the cultural landscape both in the physical sense.. a golden arches in every town.. and in the more abstract sense of standardization of speech, customs, fads, fashions, and ways of thinking. This leveling process has, at it's roots IMO, the technological imperative of efficiency. As the mass media and corporate America strive for the most efficient modes of organization we're left with a kind of mindless uniformity which exhausts any potential nuance from our interactions with one another. Twitter is the latest manifestation of this trend. Regards.

[JORGE N]

All this has been designed for a people who are far more perfect and less prone to clog it up with their imperfect applications to reality. We are really an imperfect people for the beautiful systems that we have created with all this technology. But we will pass and a better people will be able to make better use of all this. It probably wont get so badly destroyed and consumed into waste like we do presently.