The Seven Ages of Computer
Connectivity
or
Flush with Possibilities and Faced with Decisions
John F. Barber
Men and women gifted with extraordinary insight or
persuasive abilities often envision the future structure of our world and share
their visions. In no arena is this more true than that surrounding networked computer technology where the
possibilities envisioned by futurists to store, retrieve, share, and make
information, to entertain ourselves, and to communicate with others promise a
world profoundly different than the one
we currently inhabit. In the future, they say, we will be flush with
possibilities and faced with decisions.
As teachers who use computer technology we have already faced many
possibilities and decisions related to the way we and our students conceive of
and utilize writing. And arguably, as the technology of computer connectivity
continues to change, so will our notions of writing. As our notions of writing
change, so will our notions of what constitutes writing topics, themes, and
tropes, as well as the process of writing itself. Therefore, knowing something
of the potential for change implicit in these future scenarios and how they may
affect the teaching and learning of writing by affecting the world around us is
both practical and appropriate.
This writing is an attempt to provide a brief overview of some future scenarios
related to computer connectivity while at the same time pointing to the fact
that many features of these scenarios are already part and parcel of our daily
lives. In writing this overview I borrow from the notion of a geological "age"
to denote a period of time during which something exists in a state or fashion
or capacity significantly different than other periods of time. Out of whimsy
I have settled on seven ages of computer connectivity. The Computer Age encapsulates historically similar
technology developments and utilization themes to provide a useful mirror for
predicting future developments. The Information
Age evolves from decentralization and fluidity brought about by the ability
to exchange information quickly and easily via computer connectivity. The Shocked Age promotes suffering from information
overload and instills a sense of insecurity and disorientation as people sense
their cultures rapidly changing through this ubiquitous information
manipulation. In The Telespheral Age vast,
interactive telecommunications networks reach into every corner of the globe
and profoundly affect the ways we deploy energy and information. The Aquarian Age humanizes the more unsettling
aspects of previous ages and promotes opportunities for the enlargement of
human potential. Drawing on this enlargement of human potential and the
opportunities for ubiquitous telecommunications, The Transhuman Age grapples with considerations
of what it means to be human. Finally, The Digital
Age predicts that the dominant parts of human interaction and communication
will be encoded into computer instructions allowing us to facilitate
interconnection and the personalization of information we send and receive.
In each of these ages interconnected and repetitive themes swirl and circle
back and forth on each other. So, rather than interpreting what has already
happened through a static and linear historical account I have attempted to
produce a multilayered and multivocal linked and overlapping series of seven
speculations on computer connectivity. Or, if you prefer the short version,
you can jump straight to the conclusion.
"The Seven Ages of Computer Connectivity" (Introduction)
by John F. Barber