So how do we define between old and new communication technology? To avoid confusion, old equals analog, new equals digital. But to me, when a device is surpassed nowadays, it's pretty much dead, or a kinder word would be 'old'. It didn't take long for the regular mobile to be overrun by its smart counterpart. The pen and paper is now replaced with a word processor on computers and laptops. It is a big fat NO to hand in anything at university that is hand written; so to me, that communication art is antiquated. The march of progress will always leave forms of communication technology all alone, covered in dust. Lauck states that according to the National Recycling Coalition of America, there was close to 500 million personal computers to become obsolete between 1997-2007 (2004, p.1). Moore's law is sealing the fate of our environment, as there are various toxic chemicals within computers which make them hard to dispose of.
Environmental concern is just one issue. Privacy, one of the holiest ideals of liberal society, is at stake. Multitudes of information are at everyone's (who can access the internet, of course) fingertips, and this poses a serious threat to individual and institutional privacy. Hacktivism, mentioned by Stephen in lecture 1, is on the rise. Oxford online defines hacktivism as "a person who attempts to gain unauthorized access to computer files or networks to further social or political ends" (2011, p.1). Karasic states that the fundamental motivation of hackers is always liberatory (as cited in Muhammad 2001, p74). But despite the cause being just in their eyes, ideological motives to sabotage or steal data can negatively affect many not in their cross-hairs. Jobs are lost, which in turn means the livelihoods are stripped of those unaware of the anger they induced.
Detrimental issues aside, there appears to be little one can do about the free-for-all new communication technology provides in terms of access to information. The constant transformation of the new into the obsolete will remain a constant until, I don't know, we are all enslaved by robots? I welcome whatever the future of communication technology holds...except the aforementioned enslavement. Nobody wants that.
Bibliography
Lauck, S 2004, 'New technology leads to old junk', St. Joseph News Press, 14 November, p. n/a Muhammad, E 2001, 'Hacktivism', Ms., vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 74-76, viewed 29th July 2011 via Proquest Central.
Oxford Dictionaries, viewed 29th July 2011, <http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/hacktivist>
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