Scenario:
Describe or narrate a scenario about a pill found two generations into a future in which society as we know it has come apart. Your description should address issues related to communication and elicit feelings of disgust.
Narrative:
I was walking on the beach and found an unidentifiable type of pill. After closely examining the pill, it turned out to be a hearing device implanted into the ear. It looks like spy equipment to me! When an individual with the implanted pill looks at someone, they can hear their voice. I’m not talking about the person directly standing in front of them; they can be standing across the street, in an enclosed office space, or on a picnic blanket in the middle of the park.
Why are people not listening to the person conversing with them? Why do they want to know what other people across the park are saying? How can this type of device exist? Does the world need to be noisier for people to pick up specific conversations with people around them?
This society wants to be in the know of everything. Are other people talking about me? What is the newest thing that people are talking about? What is that person doing with their life? What is everyone talking about?
From the listener’s standpoint, this society wants to be ahead of the trend. They want to compare what their life is like compared to others. They are also paranoid if other people are talking behind their backs. These are such toxic behaviours. What happened to “ignorance is bliss” or “be your true self”?
From the standpoint of people conversing. Why do people want to know what my conversations are like? Do my opinions matter to other people? Can my conversations ever be confidential?
Are people living in fear? There can always be someone listening to what others are saying. Will society ever have an honest conversation because they fear what others will hear?
Reflection:
In Bruff’s podcast, the participants shared their insight into what type of digital literacies people might have in the future (2019). This podcast was recorded in 2019, and their future is “2025”. Even in 2019, one of the individuals said we have “individuals with phones” because phones are an extension of people (Bruff, 2019). In addition, by 2025, students will be far more digitally literate than those in 2019 (Bruff, 2019). It is 2023, and I still wonder if students of all ages are more digitally literate than before. Students can now use various types of technology, and it is easy for them to learn new technology, but what about the implications of using these technologies? Being digitally literate does not only include knowing how to use it but also applying ethics and understanding the policy behind the technology. One of the speakers said, “technology is neither good nor bad or neutral” (Bruff, 2019, 7:49). Technology is meant to help us, but if we misuse or take advantage of it, it will cause more harm than intended.
About my narrative, I provided the pill-like hearing device that picks up the voice of whomever the individual looks at. There could be positive intentions behind the invention, such as using the device for crime-solving purposes, exam invigilation processes, or communication when cellular service is unavailable. However, since society can readily access this type of equipment, they use it to their advantage, such as listening for gossip and trying to get ahead of the game they are playing.
They are now looking at a more recent scenario – self-driving and self-parking cars. This invention aimed to make the roads safer and help drivers drive. There have been recent news reports of drivers allowing their self-driving vehicles to take them to places while the driver takes a nap. Sometimes I question if this function is invented for humans’ benefit. Self-parking cars are advertised to help those learning to park or have trouble parking in tight spaces to park their vehicles safely. I grew up with the saying, “practice makes perfect,” I applied that to everything I did – swimming, volleyball, writing, driving, etc. People need a self-parking car and will never have to learn and perfect their parking. What if this function has a glitch and cannot park one day? What is this driver going to do? Can they still use their skills or ask someone else to help them?
Reference:
Bruff, D. (Host). (2019, May 20). Future of digital literacies faculty panel (no. 60)Links to an external site. [Audio podcast episode). In Leading Lines. Vanderbilt University.
