I have never really been one to overthink how technology, more specifically the internet, has played a major role in how Americans have changed their lives. Not only how their lives have changed, but the way that people make decisions have also changed. No longer are there small towns where everybody knows everybody. Rather there are giant cities where nobody knows anybody. While I would love to be able to go to the grocery store and know the owner and most of the customers, that is no longer realistic in our society.
But why is that??
People have been so focused on the whole "bigger is better" idea and that if you have a steady job and steady income, you have to spend your money on big, expensive things (like a giant house) because thats what you "want."
So where does technology come into play? What role has it played in this transistion to individualism that has occurred in America?
Technology has become an implicit part of every American's life, whether through the internet, cell phones, ipods, etc. Cell phones allow more personal contact with friends and family via calling and texting. Many people use ipods to block out all other noises besides their music. The internet allows people to be a part of something, without actually knowing the other people (blogs, lifestyle enclaves).
Apple has shown us that people want to be individuals, they want to be unique. Thats part of the reason that Apple did so well. It was a new device that allowed people to personalize their devices to have personalities, based on apps, music, movies etc.
Google showed us that people want an easy to use service where they can search for anything, and find answers in one location. It showed us that the data is always right. But it also raised the question of how individualistic are people really? They are believing searches that are determined by algorithms that are written by computer geeks.
Facebook showed us that people want to have connections to the outside world, to other people, but it is not necessary for these connections to be face-to-face. It also again raised the question of how personalized is Facebook? People fill out boxes that Facebook provides regarding biological information: where you live, birthday, interests, hobbies, etc.
Basically, what this class has shown me is that people believe the masses. In other words, if all your friends are using facebook, then you will want to use facebook. If all you see on facebook is that your friends have been on pinterest or playing words with friends, then you want to do these same things. I think that people in general are still a community, they want to be wanted and have social connections with other people, but it is in more of an impersonal way now then it was in the early-mid 1900s. People can now take care of most of their business online without leaving their homes, rather than always going to the bank or post office to take care of personal business.
