response to the 'digital mythology' chapter (week eleven set-reading)

The focal point of the response is the concept of Digital Mythology and the inevitable power of technology to do ‘good’, with our viewpoint being both affirmative and opposing, as we believe the rapid progression of technology in the digital age to be beneficial, but not without correlative consequences.

The video is representative of the two arguments regarding the myth of technological progression, firstly representing the affirmative point and then the negative. The affirmative position is depicted in the montage of the key ‘digerati’ figures, followed by a sequence depicting the development of computer technology, network systems and the convergence of media. The series of images indicates the immediate benefits that technology provides for its consumers and producers. The images build to a climax of an image depicting technology (0101’s) as the path to an entrance into a new reality or the ‘digital sublime’.

After the climax the video takes on the negative viewpoint, depicting the possible hidden costs of developing technology and the horrific future that digital progression may hold. This side of the argument is important to keep in context as it outlines the risks associated with the freedom provided by technology, such as:

• Increased networking may provide enhanced mobility of information and communication between people and continents, but it also provides for digital attack and information theft.
  
• Computers not only provide access to the individual to outside sources, but outside sources to the individual, raising risks of internet predators.
  
• The progression of technology is synonymous with the progression of weapons. History has proven the devastation that can be caused by new technology accessed and used inappropriately, and even now, even more powerful technology is being developed.
  
• Events such as the fall of the Twin Towers in NYC made possible by technology as well as being made viewable.
  

The culmination of the response’s images is an experience that encapsulates the significant aspects of the argument surrounding Digital Mythology. The issues addressed in the response are essential in understanding the concept of the ‘Golden Age’ of technology, however the outcome still remains ambiguous, as the development of technology will always harbour two equivalent aspects- being that of benefit and consequence.

- Oscar