Neil Postman’s Technopoly is about God. Postman’s pen provocatively engages me on every page. He insightfully thinks through the relationship of technology and culture. To be more accurate and poignant, he shows that technology has become our master, and is now destroying our culture and building a new one – bigger, faster, more efficient - and totally meaningless. Technology, now bowed down to and anointed with oil, is treated as both mysterious and awesome. The illuminating portrait Postman paints about technology is eerily fascinating and I am filled with terror and excitement at thinking thoughts after him. The conclusion he reveals is that technology, the way we think about it – nay, even with it, the way we use it, hope in it, and mindlessly adopt anything new, faster, and cheaper is nothing less than the deification of technology to our own destruction.
You really should read this book, regardless of age, job, or interest – it is that important. Are you an educator? Go out and buy it today. Are you a parent? You and your spouse need to read this and ponder how your family culture uses…or could be being USED by technology. Are you a businessman, policeman, pastor, painter, or college student? In other words, if you’re a thoughtful person who cares about restoring virtue to your family and community, get this book and eat it up. I’ve only gobbled a few morsels and it is filling and satisfying.
I entertain here two brief stories to illustrate our culture’s surrender to technology, hence a motivation to read this book, as well as to offer my way out of the maze.
A local elementary principal received $110,000 grant to improve student achievement. Exuberant with the possibilities this new revenue brought, the principal decided to build a cutting edge, high tech, computer lab. This decision was justified by merely assuming that, since it is high-tech, it is beneficial and will improve learning. Why? because technology is more efficient. With little to no reflection, this efficiency was assumed merely because the computer lab came complete with enough computers, computer microphones (for phonics practice of course), headphones (for music lessons), and touch screen calculators (for math of course) for the overcrowded class of 31. Since the lab was equipped with enough equipment, students would get information faster, learn at their own rate, pay more attention due to the perfect blend of entertainment and education – because, “that’s how kids learn today.”
This particular story (based on a true story at a school my wife used to teach at in Salem) is assuredly not unique, but rather serves to illustrate the role technology is playing in our schools, communities, and world. Think about the way the technology was adopted – quickly, with great hope, and with no discussion and dialogue from teachers, staff, or parents. The exploration of this process alone could unearth many buried problems in our culture, (such the decline of the parent’s role in education and the state’s increasing role) but instead, let us ponder the expediency (which amounts to imprudence and impatience) of the process. Now, if there was discussion, it was rushed, non-reflective and shabby (see Richard Swenson’s Margin), with little to no thought about long-term effects on children, effects on the community, the cost to maintain the new lab, or the problems it might create. You see, the problem is our surrender to technology, our deeply embedded expectations that technology solves problems and improves our culture because adopting the technology will make whatever it is we’re doing faster, bigger, cheaper, in a word, more efficient. Granted, sometimes technology does improve life, that is not the point of the book or my story. I am not a Luddite and neither is Neil Postman. We must not be a technophobe or technophile, as both are one-eyed monsters who have blinded themselves. Instead, we must think about technology with both eyes open because as Postman says, technology is both blessing and curse. Think back to the story, what other more effective ways could that money have been spent, (ask the teachers, and they’d probably ask for a teachers aide)? How would technology be a blessing in the story? How would it be a curse?
Unfortunately, as you ponder this simple story, but even more, when you read this book, your eyes will open to the shocking reality of the new religion of our age, for it shows an entire community bowing down to Technology as savior. Now, in light of this surrender, it must be mentioned and considered, what must one do in light of such a power that has arisen, and even now, one that is mastering us?
My answer is to think Amish. Notice, I did not say, throw away all technology (and neither do the Amish). I also do not believe the answer lies in everyone becoming Amish. Think Amish, that is the answer. The Amish are a people who are mindful of community, thoughtful, cautious, and intentional in the technologies they allow.
I offer my second story as an example and illustration of navigating our information glutted tech-filled cornucopian maze we call life.
A barn needs to be built because the old one is unsafe and a danger to the livestock that supports the community. Naturally, a meeting of the community leaders assembled to discuss how this will be accomplished. One community member discovered, with a little research of his own, that a new barn could be built, using modern technology, and the barn would be bigger, therefore able to hold more livestock, built faster, which would save time, be stronger, due to modern materials and technique, and would be much cheaper – it seemed like a no brainer. When his turn to speak at the community meeting came, he proposed what he thought was the obvious way the new barn should be built.
Being as we’re living in a Technopoly (see the book for more on this term and others), what would we do? As our sense of community is fragmented and people are isolated, the effect on the community’s health would not be considered, the company would be hired, most likely from another area, the new technology would be accepted, and the building of the new barn would commence with little to no thought about the community. The Amish people, though, would not do things in such a hasty way.
When the man who discovered the new technology put forward his idea, in a community meeting, there would be much discussion. First, notice the implicit assumption, which is that a bigger barn is needed. This would be considered first! In other words, what problem would be solved with a bigger barn? A Technopoly is a Technopoly because the culture surrenders its right to question these kind of assumptions. At this point, if the community decided they actually needed a bigger barn, what would be some new problems this would create? It would surely need more energy to heat it, which might require the adoption of other new technologies, with additional new problems of their own. This also might add an expense not previously envisioned. Let’s just say these topics are discussed, and the new barn was still to be built. Who would build it and how? Would a crane have to be brought in? If so, this would mean the men of the community, who usually come together to build the barns, creating camaraderie and community bonding, encouraging virtues of hard work, determination, and teamwork would no longer be necessary. What effect would that have on the men, and hence, the community? Would they instead sit on the couch while others do work for them? What effect would this have? As one continues to reflect on this story, insights begin to pop up everywhere.
The Amish people are wise, and to them the concept of community is of supreme importance. They are very cautious in adopting or using any new technology. Convenience, expediency, and the like is not their goal; and they do not assume bigger, faster, and cheaper is better. In fact, those more often than not are NOT what they appear and end up breeding bigger problems that worsen faster and are not cheap to remedy! To conclude, I encourage you to do two things: Think Amish and read this book. Surely with all these awesome time-saving devices you have time, right?
You really should read this book, regardless of age, job, or interest – it is that important. Are you an educator? Go out and buy it today. Are you a parent? You and your spouse need to read this and ponder how your family culture uses…or could be being USED by technology. Are you a businessman, policeman, pastor, painter, or college student? In other words, if you’re a thoughtful person who cares about restoring virtue to your family and community, get this book and eat it up. I’ve only gobbled a few morsels and it is filling and satisfying.
I entertain here two brief stories to illustrate our culture’s surrender to technology, hence a motivation to read this book, as well as to offer my way out of the maze.
A local elementary principal received $110,000 grant to improve student achievement. Exuberant with the possibilities this new revenue brought, the principal decided to build a cutting edge, high tech, computer lab. This decision was justified by merely assuming that, since it is high-tech, it is beneficial and will improve learning. Why? because technology is more efficient. With little to no reflection, this efficiency was assumed merely because the computer lab came complete with enough computers, computer microphones (for phonics practice of course), headphones (for music lessons), and touch screen calculators (for math of course) for the overcrowded class of 31. Since the lab was equipped with enough equipment, students would get information faster, learn at their own rate, pay more attention due to the perfect blend of entertainment and education – because, “that’s how kids learn today.”
This particular story (based on a true story at a school my wife used to teach at in Salem) is assuredly not unique, but rather serves to illustrate the role technology is playing in our schools, communities, and world. Think about the way the technology was adopted – quickly, with great hope, and with no discussion and dialogue from teachers, staff, or parents. The exploration of this process alone could unearth many buried problems in our culture, (such the decline of the parent’s role in education and the state’s increasing role) but instead, let us ponder the expediency (which amounts to imprudence and impatience) of the process. Now, if there was discussion, it was rushed, non-reflective and shabby (see Richard Swenson’s Margin), with little to no thought about long-term effects on children, effects on the community, the cost to maintain the new lab, or the problems it might create. You see, the problem is our surrender to technology, our deeply embedded expectations that technology solves problems and improves our culture because adopting the technology will make whatever it is we’re doing faster, bigger, cheaper, in a word, more efficient. Granted, sometimes technology does improve life, that is not the point of the book or my story. I am not a Luddite and neither is Neil Postman. We must not be a technophobe or technophile, as both are one-eyed monsters who have blinded themselves. Instead, we must think about technology with both eyes open because as Postman says, technology is both blessing and curse. Think back to the story, what other more effective ways could that money have been spent, (ask the teachers, and they’d probably ask for a teachers aide)? How would technology be a blessing in the story? How would it be a curse?
Unfortunately, as you ponder this simple story, but even more, when you read this book, your eyes will open to the shocking reality of the new religion of our age, for it shows an entire community bowing down to Technology as savior. Now, in light of this surrender, it must be mentioned and considered, what must one do in light of such a power that has arisen, and even now, one that is mastering us?
My answer is to think Amish. Notice, I did not say, throw away all technology (and neither do the Amish). I also do not believe the answer lies in everyone becoming Amish. Think Amish, that is the answer. The Amish are a people who are mindful of community, thoughtful, cautious, and intentional in the technologies they allow.
I offer my second story as an example and illustration of navigating our information glutted tech-filled cornucopian maze we call life.
A barn needs to be built because the old one is unsafe and a danger to the livestock that supports the community. Naturally, a meeting of the community leaders assembled to discuss how this will be accomplished. One community member discovered, with a little research of his own, that a new barn could be built, using modern technology, and the barn would be bigger, therefore able to hold more livestock, built faster, which would save time, be stronger, due to modern materials and technique, and would be much cheaper – it seemed like a no brainer. When his turn to speak at the community meeting came, he proposed what he thought was the obvious way the new barn should be built.
Being as we’re living in a Technopoly (see the book for more on this term and others), what would we do? As our sense of community is fragmented and people are isolated, the effect on the community’s health would not be considered, the company would be hired, most likely from another area, the new technology would be accepted, and the building of the new barn would commence with little to no thought about the community. The Amish people, though, would not do things in such a hasty way.
When the man who discovered the new technology put forward his idea, in a community meeting, there would be much discussion. First, notice the implicit assumption, which is that a bigger barn is needed. This would be considered first! In other words, what problem would be solved with a bigger barn? A Technopoly is a Technopoly because the culture surrenders its right to question these kind of assumptions. At this point, if the community decided they actually needed a bigger barn, what would be some new problems this would create? It would surely need more energy to heat it, which might require the adoption of other new technologies, with additional new problems of their own. This also might add an expense not previously envisioned. Let’s just say these topics are discussed, and the new barn was still to be built. Who would build it and how? Would a crane have to be brought in? If so, this would mean the men of the community, who usually come together to build the barns, creating camaraderie and community bonding, encouraging virtues of hard work, determination, and teamwork would no longer be necessary. What effect would that have on the men, and hence, the community? Would they instead sit on the couch while others do work for them? What effect would this have? As one continues to reflect on this story, insights begin to pop up everywhere.
The Amish people are wise, and to them the concept of community is of supreme importance. They are very cautious in adopting or using any new technology. Convenience, expediency, and the like is not their goal; and they do not assume bigger, faster, and cheaper is better. In fact, those more often than not are NOT what they appear and end up breeding bigger problems that worsen faster and are not cheap to remedy! To conclude, I encourage you to do two things: Think Amish and read this book. Surely with all these awesome time-saving devices you have time, right?
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