The Impact of Technology on Urban Life and Urbanization
Question One
The argument that the Course Directors present, with regard to the five key points that are discussed in this paper, is that while technology has historically paved the way to the progress of communities through effective communication, it simultaneously produces a widening gap between those who have greater power and those who does not (York University, 2016).
In Splintering Urbanism and the Future of Cities, the Course Directors state that the evolution of technology has led to global urbanization; this, in turn, has resulted in the splintering of the urban society. This weakens the poor and strengthens the rich, a scenario that flourishes in an ever-widening gap. In Community History Viewed through a Technological Lens, the Course Directors state that the evolution of technologies have led to the evolution of communities, from the pre-industrial age to the present. The capacity to prosper has always been dependent on the ability to fully utilize technology, whether for national progress or personal gain, paving the way to marginalization (Winston & Edelbach, 2011, p.132).
In Online Communities and Social Networks, the Course Directors state that throughout history, progress in communities has been defined by the ability and effectiveness of its inhabitants to communicate. The concept of ‘urban’ is no longer exclusive to geographic location but also to the ‘cyberworld’. Modern society is a place where the elite no longer opts to work and live in congested cities but in an online urban world where their influence over society prevails. In Identity Theft and Privacy in the Workplace, the Course Directors state that the technology that propels human progress is the same technology that is making the world a less-safer place. Ironically through technology, business organizations and cyber criminals alike have power over society, furthering the gap between the powerful and the powerless. In Surveillance, it is argued that while technology allows for greater sophistication of modern devices, the basic human right for liberty is lost as technological advancements [i.e., CCTVs, facial recognition technology, GPS, etc.] are exploited by governments to monitor and control unsuspecting societies (Wright & Kreissl, 2014, p.350).
Question Two
In Splintering Urbanism and the Future of Cities, the Course Directors explain that technology, which encourages globalization and the splintering of urbanism, “is the engine that is driving the worldwide economy and increasingly making the gap wider and wider between the haves and have-nots in the global community” (York University, 2016). In Community History Viewed through a Technological Lens, the Course Directors explain that that “the young urban professionals embody the characteristics of the post-industrial society” and that with the congestion of cities, technology [through the Internet] has allowed the elite to move out to exurban areas where they become part of the creative economy, a new yet intangible urban technological community (York University, 2016).
In Online Communities and Social Networks, the Course Directors explain that through today’s modern technology, a new form of community has evolved through the Internet where the scope, speed, method, and content of communication have led to the rise of online communities and social networks which continue to redefine “the way and the places in which people live” (York University, 2016). In Identity Theft and Privacy in the Workplace, the Course Directors explain that technology paves the way to questionable labor practices while trillions of dollars are lost every year as individuals and entire economies are victimized through high-tech cybercrime; likewise, sensitive government data are easily hacked and governments are unable to effectively combat such illegal activities (Targowski, 2016 p.377). In Surveillance, the Course Directors explain that governments have conditioned the mindset of societies into believing that the world is safer because of surveillance devices.
Question Three
In Splintering Urbanism and the Future of Cities, the Course Directors think that this point is important because although the forces of globalization and technology have its benefits, there are negative consequences which manifest in the marginalization and splintering of societies. These lead to the disintegration of cultural heritage and identities under the pressures of technology and globalization (Biehl, Comer, & Prescott, 2014 p.43). In Community History Viewed through a Technological Lens, the Course Directors think that this point is important because technology has historically divided the rich from the poor and, in today’s world, the gap further widens as the rich prefers not to coexists with the poor in one community; this is a physical separation which is marked by the dominating presence of the elite in cyberspace.
In Online Communities and Social Networks, the Course Directors think that this point is important because with the arrival of a new form of community – the online community – the social landscape is dramatically transformed. This is highlighted by the proliferation of online places of work which encourages the physical detachment of living spaces between the rich and the poor, or the powerful minority and the powerless majority. In Identity Theft and Privacy in the Workplace, the Course Directors think that this point is important because technology has inadvertently handed down indiscriminate power to organizations who exercise questionable business practices over employees. In the same manner, power is now in the hands of cyber criminals; it has therefore shifted from the hands of governments to the hands of big-time cyber syndicates who prey on unwitting victims. In Surveillance, the Course Directors think that this point is important because societies are either indifferent or ignorant of how governments are curtailing basic rights to freedom through modern technologies. The liberty of people is at risk and should there be objectors, the government can and will silence the dissenters.
Question Four
In Splintering Urbanism and the Future of Cities, I feel that human beings are inherently attracted by the need to build groups or communities from which technology and progress develop. Leadership evolves from this and, eventually, social stratification follows. It has now reached a climax of globalized urbanization which can either be good or bad. I feel that this is an inevitable fate for humankind and should be understood as such so that today’s generation can work together toward desirable ends. In Community History Viewed through a Technological Lens, I feel that it is only by looking at where we have been and where we are now that we can hope to know where we are headed in the future. It appears that the ever-widening gap between the rich and the poor as a result of constantly advancing technology will soon reach a socially-devastating breaking point. Societies should collectively work to narrowing the social gap.
In Online Communities and Social Networks, I feel that unless the problem of marginalization is mitigated and resolved, more and more people can be expected to suffer in a state of worsening poverty. Online communities are created and dominated by the social elite. These increasingly become the primary source of social, political, and economic interaction at the expense of actual geographic communities where the way of life of lower social classes is deteriorating and becoming less relevant in the modern technological world. In Identity Theft and Privacy in the Workplace, I feel that because governments are powerless to sufficiently prevent nefarious online activities – and there is a widening gap between the powerful and the powerless – it can be expected that the problem can only get worse on a global scale unless a definitive solution can be identified and implemented. In Surveillance, I feel that modern society has to stand its ground against the oppressiveness of intrusive monitoring and control by the government. With the direction that society is heading, people are bound to end up in a dystopian world where the government has complete control over the thoughts and actions of people.
Question Five
There is interrelation among the five important points that I have raised. The technological methods by which social marginalization evolve in Community History Viewed through a Technological Lens are reflected in Online Communities and Social Networks, in Identity Theft and Privacy in the Workplace, and in Surveillance. All of these topics point to technology as the driver of social change. Due to the fact that people with greater access to the power of technology use such power to amass greater wealth at the expense of those who are less capable, the problem of marginalization has always been a social ill throughout human history. Technology in itself is not bad; it is the manner by which the elite class shapes and manipulates the social landscape through technology for their personal benefit that the gap between the powerful and the powerless continually widens. Technology represents power and it is a tool that has always been exploited by the ruling class to keep the powerless in their usual place.
It can be stated that because of this social scenario, the exploitation of the poor and the powerless has to reach a breaking point somewhere in the future (Halliwell & Morley, 2008 p.115). In regard to this, I would like to argue that the issue discussed in Splintering Urbanism and the Future of Cities is a foreshadowing of the said breaking point. In today’s modern world, urbanism is helplessly splintered in the face of a new form of community: the online community. Social networks provide a false sense of controlling power to the masses. Although the masses are able to gather strength through collective effort, at the end of the day, such social networks are permitted to thrive for the economic or political benefit of the ruling class.
Question Six
In Splintering Urbanism and the Future of Cities, the impact of technology on society encompasses the social, economic, political, and institutional parameters as governments weave the ideals of globalization into the social fabric of local community life in urban places. Urbanization in its overall scenario is designed to benefit the rich who continuously profit from the labors of the poor. If the trend continues, local customs and traditions would cease to exist in favor of one oppressive global culture. In Community History Viewed through a Technological Lens, history teaches how technology has similarly transformed all parameters of life in urban places. In understanding how urbanization has come about and how it has led to the marginalization of people through the pre-industrial age and the industrial age, modern society should now be equipped with acquired skills to counteract the negative effects of technology. Unfortunately, the ruling class opts to hold onto power, leading to a widening social gap.
In Online Communities and Social Networks, the Course Directors provide a clear picture of how the social, economic, political, and institutional parameters of life in urban places are impacted by technology today. More importantly, the topic allows the readers a preview of how future societies would probably look like if the present technological trend persists. It is possible that the future society could be an aggregate global community sharing one economy, one culture, and probably one government; it would not be defined by rich and diverse cultures.
In Identity Theft and Privacy in the Workplace, technology becomes a tool against the common good as the business organizations around the world use their power to enforce unethical business practices which violate basic human rights (Shaw & Barry, 2015 p.445). Technology impacts all parameters of life as the power of tech-savvy cyber criminals to commit crime surpasses the ability of governments to fight back. In regard to this, a better future can be possible if governments can use technology against these elements. In Surveillance, however, governments themselves violate the rights of citizens to liberty. Once again, technology impacts all aspects of life in urban places, from the social, political, economic, to institutional parameters. It is unfortunate to note that the mindset of modern society has been conditioned to accept surveillance as a necessary tool for the preservation of peace when, in fact, it merely curtails the freedom of people. It is for this very reason that societies must work collectively against it.
Conclusion
References
Biehl, P., Comer, D., & Prescott, C. (2014). Identity and heritage: contemporary challenges in a globalized world. Retrieved from https://books.google.ae/books?id=GNjVBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA43&dq=globalization+destroys+local+heritage+identity&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiIkqzH26DOAhWmJ8AKHXboDwkQ6AEIJzAC#v=onepage&q=globalization%20destroys%20local%20heritage%20identity&f=false
Halliwell, M., & Morley, C. (2008). American thought and culture in the 21st century. Retrieved from https://books.google.ae/books?id=0B2lBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA115&dq=widening+gap+between+rich+and+poor+breaking+point&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj9n4PW3KDOAhWMK8AKHadUCsUQ6AEINjAF#v=onepage&q=widening%20gap%20between%20rich%20and%20poor%20breaking%20point&f=false
Shaw, W., Barry, V. (2015). Moral issues in business. Retrieved from https://books.google.ae/books?id=SIrCBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA445&dq=business+organizations+violate+privacy+of+employees&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiFjsP03aDOAhXHcBoKHSEPB0sQ6AEILzAD#v=onepage&q=business%20organizations%20violate%20privacy%20of%20employees&f=false
Targowski, A. (2016). The history, present state, and future information technology. Retrieved from https://books.google.ae/books?id=fUR4CwAAQBAJ&pg=PA377&dq=governments+are+unable+to+stop+cyber+criminals&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj14b3Q2qDOAhVkKMAKHTGUDMIQ6AEILTAD#v=onepage&q=governments%20are%20unable%20to%20stop%20cyber%20criminals&f=false
Winston, M., & Edelbach, R. (2011). Society, ethics, and technology. Retrieved from https://books.google.ae/books?id=7WAIAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA132&dq=human+progress+technology+leads+to+social+inequality&hl=en&sa=X&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=human%20progress%20technology%20leads%20to%20social%20inequality&f=false
Wright, D., & Kreissl, R. (2014). Surveillance in Europe. Retrieved from https://books.google.ae/books?id=9amQBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA350&dq=human+right+privacy+surveillance+government+control+society&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiam5vK2aDOAhXI1xoKHUD5ArwQ6AEIJTAC#v=onepage&q=human%20right%20privacy%20surveillance%20government%20control%20society&f=false
York University. (2016). Retrieved from http://studyonline.ca/course/cybercities-community-and-communication-changing-urban-areas
