The Simplification of Technology (Philosocom's Subcategory Directory on Technology)
Updated: Jun 26
(The Subcategory Directory:
Do you remember the times when computers were incredibly complex, or even were only at the possession of an elite? I don't, because I was born in the 1990s, and back then computers were already easier to use than they were a few decades before that.
What I'm trying to say is, with the development of computers over time, many of these devices have become significantly easier to use, to the point that today, even small children are capable of operating them. Obviously, you don't have to be a scientist anymore in order to be a good computer operator; even someone with basic knowledge can press one or a few buttons on a keyboard or screen and get access to the largest information bank invented by mankind: the internet.
As I have experienced myself, becoming an expert in certain fields is no longer necessary to be good at them, as ironic as it might sound. This is true at least in the field of music: I have no musical expertise whatsoever, other than being able to play the piano a bit better than the average person, and yet, there are countless programs and apps you can use to compose music beyond your individual capability. I'll show you an example of a musical composition I'm very proud of, at the end of this article, to demonstrate.
Anyway, how many of you can code? I have no knowledge of coding, and yet I was able to make this site from scratch, no former expertise required. Perhaps in the far future, we will have immense technological power that will be capable of vastly expanding our merits, with little former knowledge in order to do so. Imagine a small child being able to compose a piece that can be compared to that of great classical geniuses such as Mozart or Beethoven.
It's wild how much technology is probably going to even get easier to use than it already is. I just came up with another example: Tinder, and the like! With the movement of a finger you could begin relationships, marriage, and even form families.
If there's one thing that can be said about technology, it is that it is basically a portal to many abilities some could consider impossible in the days of the past. The laptop, smartphone, television -- all are, in a way, an extension of ourselves, and because of that, it is, for many of us, incredibly difficult to abstain from their usage -- that includes me as well.
Certain people the popular internet culture may describe as "boomers," would tell you that it isn't good to be in front of a screen all the time; that it makes you miss out on the beauty of the outside, that it makes you avoid friends or even family, and, obviously, that it isn't good for your eyes. If I am to encounter said "boomers" I would've asked them: "With so many opportunities being in contemporary and future computers, why would we even want to get our eyes off it when it is unnecessary?".
That question was meant not as an insult, but as a genuine concern -- we are capable of doing so much with these devices; why would we wish to leave them when we are able to use them extensively?
The usage of computers, regardless, raises another concern -- what if we won't need to be experts on anything when they could fill in what we cannot? If you don't need to be a professional to use a computer, record videos, paint, and create music -- what will be the future of education? I'm not exclusively talking about artificial intelligence, but about apps, programs, and interfaces that shall take away the need to study, and provide anything we need with the power of a few buttons at a time?
Of course, I'm not saying that technology is getting simpler by the way it operates; it's getting simpler by the average person's ability to operate it. It can be even arguable that, the easier something is to use, the likelier it would attract more people to use it. Perhaps this is why philosophy would probably never be mainstream, but catchy, unoriginal pop songs would.
Since you've reached the end of this article I will do as promised and show you what I think is my electronical masterpiece, something I could not have composed even on the days I had the piano. It took around half an hour to an hour, on an easy-to-use phone app. Here you go, and I hope it will further show the possibility of the things said here as true.
(The appearance the symbol is merely cosmetic).
