In Chapter Three of The Shallows: What the Internet is doing to our brains, I was very taken by the idea of determinism versus instrumentalism. Essentially, determinism is the belief that our technology will become so advanced that it will begin to create more sophisticated technology on it’s own, which will render human beings dispensable. This idea is the foundation for many Sci-Fi movies and books, because the thought that this could potentially happen is a fear to many in our ever technology dependent society.
The ideals of instrumentalism is the other side of this argument, with the conservative idea that technology is merely a tool for human beings to use in order to make daily tasks easier—nothing more.
The interesting thing about this particular argument is we honestly don’t know the future of technology. The rapid nature of growth and change is beyond anything the world has ever seen. Even the once thought ridiculous and outlandish pieces of technology in 1980’s Sci-fi films are now a reality. How could we ever really know how technology will unfold and change? The more interesting question: how will we change along side of it?
Strategically Communicating 
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