Nye's Book Review: Technology Matters

Book Review of Nye’s Technology Matters:  Questions to Live With

Heidi Hopp

October 2011

Technology.  On the surface it seems as though the word is fairly simple.  David Nye proves just the opposite in his book, Technology Matters, as he explores questions about technology and what effect it has on society.  In Chapter 1, Nye attempts to “define” technology.  He begins by looking at and describing the evolution of technology.  It was once thought that only human beings could create and use tools that could be considered to be technological.  However, Jane Goodall observed a chimpanzee that used a twig as a tool to obtain and eat termites from a termite hill (Nye, 2007, p. 1).  It may not be the high-tech devices that we have grown accustomed to today, but it nevertheless was a tool that got the job done.  Nye continues to describe technology, but no clear, concise definition is offered.

Throughout his book, Nye provides several in-depth examples to illustrate his points.  Some of the things he looks at are whether or not technology controls us, if technology is predictable, and whether or not technology makes us more uniform or more diverse.  Nye looks at the questions from various angles and provides the reader with many scenarios and detailed research.  He asks numerous questions as he explores each area.  One thing is certain; technology plays an economic, political, and social role in our society.  A few common threads are woven throughout Nye’s book which illustrates this point.  Economically consumer “demands” for what they want often drive the market, even though it may not be best for our environment or more cheaply made (Nye, 2007, p. 212).  Politically there is much debate over how much government control should be placed on technology (Nye, 2007, p. 135).  Socially, “cultures select and shape technologies, not the other way around, and some societies have rejected or ignored even the gun or the wheel” (Nye, 2007, p. 210).  Technologies create change and differences in and among people.

I was eager to read Nye’s Chapter 6 which focuses on abundance vs. ecological crisis.  Nye (2007) states, “Visions of technological progress seem attractive in the abstract, but what do they mean in practice” (p. 88)?  He begins by studying the landscape, particularly land used for agricultural purposes.  In 1830 a farmer in the United States produced 20 bushels of wheat; while in 1890 a farmer produced 380 bushels of wheat (Nye, 2007, p. 90).  This growing trend seems to continue today, due to the technologies farmers use.  Nye does not stop here.  He also takes a look at factories.  From 1870-1890 Robert Thurston saw, “factory productivity rise almost 30 percent, while working hours dropped and real wages rose 20 percent” (Nye, 2007, p. 91).  Some minorities were not all that interested in having technological abundance.  Some preferred simplicity.  Henry David Thoreau looked at leading a more simplified and less materialistic lifestyle.  Thoreau stated that (our tools) are, “but improved means to an unimproved end” (Nye, 2007, p. 101).  This implies that one will never be satisfied because there is something bigger and better to want.  Nye concludes the chapter by looking at what the “carrying capacity” of the Earth might be.  No one really seems to know for sure.  Nye (2007) points out that “oil, gas, and coal were limited resources that would run out within a few generations” (p. 104).  However, many consumers did not seem bothered by this fact.  Take for instance in the 1980s when there was a plea for creating smaller, more fuel-efficient cars to help with the energy crisis.  People did not want to buy them.  They wanted trucks and SUVs.  In the 1920s Henry Ford discovered a similar outcome.  He wanted to make the same vehicles, but the customers wanted different styled vehicles (Nye, 2007, p. 105).  One thing is certain:  “how many people the Earth can support depends on what people want from life” (Nye, 2007, p. 108).  If we choose to put our natural resources into making a more comfortable lifestyle for ourselves, there is less for nature to use as resources.  It comes down to choosing how we want to use nature. 

In Chapter 7 Nye challenges his readers to uncover whether we are working more, less, better, or worse?  At best, Nye suggests that who you are, what you value, and who you work for will impact your answer.  There is no doubt that working conditions have changed over the years.  A lot of the physical labor jobs have been replaced with technology (Nye, 2007, p. 109).  Some even worry that as more technology replaces more people, it will lead to more unemployment for workers (Nye, 2007, p. 118).  If you are a person who works for Wal-Mart, chances are you will be earning lower wages, while the consumer will pay a lower price for the merchandise (Nye, 2007, p. 132).  If you are a president union member working for Harley-Davidson, chances are you will share an office with the company’s president, often being included in some of the decisions made (Nye, 2007, p. 123-124).  Some argue that we work harder because of the way the company owner(s) choose to spend their profits.  Early mill owners grew to be quite wealthy, while the workers remained quite poor (Nye, 2007, p. 129).  If you are a woman, in past years you have had gender inequality issues when it comes to work and equal pay for the same jobs that men have.  Women have often held lower paying jobs and have been mere assistants to men who hold the jobs with “control” (Nye, 2007, p. 127).  What will our future hold with work and our economy?  Time will tell as the future unfolds.

In Chapter 10 Nye explores whether technology has helped us expand our consciousness or our encapsulation.  Few people would argue “that technologies have expanded our knowledge of the world” (Nye, 2007, p. 185).  However, as we continually “(re)interpret the world, we may be losing touch with other modes of understanding” (Nye, 2007, p. 185).  Nye (2007) further states that our technologies may be leading our society to “sensory overload” (p. 186).  Multi-tasking has become common in our society.  Many of us are guilty of trying to do two or more things before completing the first thing that we started.  Is this a good thing?  Nye (2007) states, “In small doses multi-tasking is a valuable ability, but in large doses it can lead to information overload” (p. 187).  Nye (2007) also speaks about “unconscious acceptance by later generations, since the machine was already there when one was born” (p. 190).  A child born today would accept the Internet, automobile, and electricity as “normal.”  However, understanding the evolution of technology and life from the ‘good old days’ may deepen one’s understanding and appreciation for the technologies offered today.  Technology seems to be intertwined with nearly every aspect of our daily lives, making it hard to escape from it, even for a little while.  Something as simple as a walk in the park has had technological impacts.  The lawn has been planted and taken care of, the plants have been planted, and fertilizers and weed killers are used to care for the park- all of which are a result of advancement in technology (Nye, 2007, p. 194). 

So, what does all of this mean for the future?  What kind of impact is technology having on our students and the world today?  The world we are living in is much faster paced.  More demands are made and less time is often available.  In my first grade students I have noticed less patience from them.  They often grow tired of waiting for an answer and want to know NOW.  I can remember as a child having to look up answers to research questions in the brand new encyclopedia set that my parents bought for us to use.  It was hard work sometimes looking up the answers, but I appreciated and learned how to find information.  Today, anything you want to know is just a click away.  I have also noticed that students don’t always know how to act socially with one another.  Will the world thrive on isolation and people only communicating with each other using their technological devices?  I hope not.  I have always been a people person and learn a lot from others around me.  My husband and I are raising three boys, and I want them to be socially aware and responsible toward others, both with and without the use of technology. 

Certainly I am not saying that we can or should live in the past.  However, I do believe that we should not “put all of our eggs in one basket” where technology is concerned.  Last year my co-teacher and I had technological difficulties with our SMART board, and we could not use it for a few days.  Did we know how to teach without it?  Yes.  Luckily we had paper versions of the books that were offered to students online.  Did our students learn without it?  I hope so.  You could, however tell that they missed the technology and had grown accustomed to learning with it.  But, being able to adapt to change is a life-long survival skill.  One question still remains for me.  Since technology is unpredictable, are we, as a society, going to keep going or is there a change in sight?

Reference:  Nye, D. E. (2007). Technology matters:  Questions to live with. Cambridge, MA:  MIT Press.