

The Internet Says Goodbye - Boriss
http://www.donotlick.com/2014/07/05/the-internet-says-goodbye/

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doctorshady
The author lost me when they said culture needs to evolve for the web.
Technologies become popular because they're culturally compatible with who we
are, not because they have the potential to be that if we change.

~~~
Boriss
That is how technologies become popular, but the process is symbiotic: culture
changes from technologies also.

For example, mobile phones became popular because they were culturally
compatible: we wanted to be able to contact anyone from anywhere, and this
technology met that need. As mobile phones gained usage, culture shifted
because of it: we started messaging more frequently in text, we started
ignoring the world around us when we wanted to use our phone instead, possibly
our attention spans decreased, etc.

These changes are not "decided upon," but derive from the way technology meets
our needs. Our culture shifts through our technology use. But sometimes, our
cultural needs aren't fully met by technology. Those who feel socially
isolated yet communicate plenty via the internet may feel some of this. Just
as our physical needs prompt technology, our cultural needs can do so as well.
It's a process that goes on whether or not we're conscious of it, so being
conscious of it, I'd argue, is important.

