This is a blog about my teaching, research and service with some occasional personal comments thrown in. These are my notes on a variety of topics. If you want to follow my blog posts on a specific topic, then see the Table of Contents in the right-hand column. While I try to work in the realm of facts, logic and moral absolutes, if there are any opinions expressed here, they are my own. -WilliamHartPhD
So, according the previous post, technologies evolve. New ones are created and some old ones go extinct. Or do they go extinct?
Focusing specifically on media technologies, what new media tech has evolved recently? Is there a new species of media tech? It could be argued that "the third screen" is a new species. Martin writes about it in his book, The Third Screen: Marketing to Your Customers in a World Gone Mobile. What is the third screen and how has it evolved? And, what does it have to do with your future? What do you see evolving in the future? Do you see a fourth screen? No screen? What is the connection between your future and the future of media tech?
Now take those basic ideas of biological evolution and see how they apply it specifically to technological evolution. What do Kelly and Blackmore add to this theoretical perspective?
First, "Kevin Kelly on how technology evolves"
(You may want to start the Kelly video at about 8:20.)
Previous posts have offered theories for how technologies come to be and develop over time. We've discussed, for example, Winston's model and we've discussed the Rogers' Diffusion of Innovations. We now turn to our last theory -- technological evolution.
This theory is based on the biological theory of evolution. One of the best explanations of biological evolution and the mechanism that drives evolution is found in Carl Sagan's Cosmos video series which was based on the book Cosmos. In the following video Sagan describes the process of artificial selection. As you are watching this clip from Cosmos, be sure to identify and be able to explain the mechanism that drives evolution. Does this mechanism explain technological evolution? Do technologies evolve?
Let's start first in Japan some time ago and the story of a drowned boy-emperor, a small crab and the idea of artificial selection.
Let's look at evolution in another way, noting especially the steps in the process.
Evolution is a process. What are the steps in the process?
In this short clip the process is explained in a different way. Slow the process down and catch each step. It starts with organisms vary.
Now, instead of rabbits, what if we were talking about mobile phones or any other media technology?