The first thing that piqued my interest in the Murphy and Potts reading was that the term “technology” is one that has evolved, altered, and is shrouded in ambiguity. I don’t know if I’d call this ironic or hugely apt, but I did like that the word “technology” was experiencing similar changes to what it indexes.

The relationship between technology and culture is an important one to acknowledge – it informs us and helps us predict the way future technologies will impact us. The mention of the printing press jolted my memory into action and I suddenly remembered its interesting history and the repercussion that followed. In brief, the printing press (for text) was invented circa mid 15^th century If you’ve ever wondered why the English language is so “random”, why enough isn’t spelt “enuf”, why “rough” and “plough” are pronounced completely different despite their similar appearance, you pretty much have the printing press to thank. Before the printing press, there were many variations in spelling, often thanks to the variety of dialects in Britain. However, uniformity began to be enforced when texts were printed, so that different texts wouldn’t have to be printed for different regions. This led to a lot of mix and matching, taking certain words from a variety of areas and printing them – effectively cementing the spelling. This explains why we have so many exceptions to the rules in English, and why words often aren’t phonetic.

In summary, yes, technologies impact us a great deal.

The reading also asked from which cultural shifts do new technologies arise, and do these technologies bring new cultural possibilities into being? Thinking about this within the context of the course, we can look at both the nikis and the networked blogs. A shift to the online and the rise of digital media has surely led to these technologies being utilized as teaching/learning resources. In turn, the technology perpetuates our obsession with everything digital, and creates communities in an online space. New cultures are formed in the Networked Media sphere, the way we interact, the things we say, and who we say them to emerge the more literate we become.

Linking to outside the course, I thought about the relatively new dating app – Tinder (the straight version of Grindr, where you can find and chat with people in your area). One article I read asserted that this new technology encouraged a “college hook-up culture”. It says Tinder fuels an easy-sex mindset, allowing users to seek and largely find no-stings-attached relationships with minimal risk of rejection. The app encourages a culture where sex is one of the first topics put onto the table, and more often than not, practiced either in cyberspace or in real life. This is an example of a technology creating new cultural trends. But then the question of chicken and egg must be raised. Another articleproposes that the technology doesn’t encourage this culture, but instead caters to an already existing need/behaviour. According to this source, Tinder has been made to suit our busy, tech-oriented lives. Where time is precious and you don’t just happen to bump into the love of your life in a supermarket, like some sappy rom-coms make out. It also has a more positive view, saying that a technology that is tailored to our lives so effectively can lead to long-term relationships, not just a cesspit of teenage horniness.

Source: http://www.quickmeme.com/Tinder/?upcoming