Is Technology Making Us Lazy Or More Productive?

In the second part of Paul Virilio's Open Sky, he talks about the law of proximity, grey ecology, and continental drift. He relates the law of proximity to the law of least action. In today's age the help of technology has made people think that "less is more."

Virilio's example of the stairs and elevator is a great example to show how lazy people have become, but how much faster they can get things done simultaneously. The characteristics "lazy" and "productive" seem to be almost opposites, but modern technology has allowed people to possess these two characteristics simultaneously. His stairs and elevator example shows that when there's a choice between the two, no body takes the stairs anymore. They're getting to their destination faster, but without having to do any extra work.

In the chapter "Grey Ecology", Virilio points out that acceleration of geographical knowledge has led to loss of meaning in scale and physical dimension. Travel was seen as the best form of education in the past, since it allowed people to free themselves from their everyday familiarities and experience diversity first hand.

Today there are so many different forms of technology that allow people to learn about different geographical locations without even having to leave their physical location. While there is a lot a person can learn about a place without visiting it physically, there is also a lot of information that can be missed such as experience. I believe that relatable experiences, which are obtained through traveling, are what make information so meaningful and memorable.

The theory of continental drift is that the locations of the continents are changing, in relation to one another. Virilio argues that with the help of technology we are reversing the traditional theory of continental drift. The continents were once all connected, but over time have moved further and further apart. Virilio states that metropolization for this coming century is the "world-city," meaning there will be a virtual city of which every real city will be a suburb whose "centre will be nowhere and circumference everywhere."

I do agree with technology and the convenience it brings, in terms of quick communication, that there is already a more connected world, I just am not sure if I'd describe this as a virtual city where real cities will be irrelevant.

Tying all of these chapters together, I see where Virilio is coming from when he describes the typical person's use of technology and how it is making them less reliant on people and more reliant on virtual experiences; however, I do believe that there will always be a connection to the real world.

I see more and more people using their cell phones for more things (for example it went from solely using it for phone calls to adding text messages and now people can pay their bills on their mobile phones). But I do still see people actively connecting with the world and other people in ways that are impossible to do virtually, a perfect example would be physical exercise.

I see the danger of technology from Virilio's point of view, but I believe we should take everything with a grain of salt. I personally believe that yes, too much technology can be dangerous to one's "real time" social life, but I also believe that using technology within reason helps the average person balance everyday tasks more efficiently.

Discussion Questions:
1. What are some ways in which you use technology everyday? What is one example of an activity that you do that in no way involves technology?

2. Based on your answer to the above questions, do you believe you are "too reliant" on technology? Or too unfamiliar with it? Do you see either as being an issue?