While we take our iPhones and iPads to every destination, it is interesting to think about the future of technology from the millennial standpoint in 2018 America. This future provokes thoughts such as, Where do we go from here? Is there more room to improve? In 1945, Vennevar Bush poses these questions in his article, “As We May Think” in a popular media source, The Atlantic. The article describes the technology of the 1940’s and possible improvements in the upcoming years. Bush acknowledges the political and current events of that time period, as he elaborates on his predictions for future technological advances in photography, literature, and medicine, among others.
While recognizing the aforementioned advances, Bush describes the typical writing process of the 1940’s: “To make the record, we now push a pencil or tap a typewriter. Then comes the process of digestion and correction, followed by an intricate process of typesetting, printing, and distribution. To consider the first stage of the procedure, will the author of the future cease writing by hand or typewriter and talk directly to the record?” Bush not only places the technological advancements of 2018 in a more magnified lens as we read the article today in 2018, but it also brings light to the accuracy of his predictability of digitalization in the future. The tedious process of editing and rewriting was more mechanical and it established a more personal connection between the author’s thoughts, the typewriter, and the words that were typed on the paper. However, as Bush predicted, technology has allowed us to cut the middleman: the authentic connection between the creator’s thoughts and the physical paper. We now can simply speak our essays and papers through applications of oral dictation. The question I pose from this is, does a technological record have a higher value than a tangible record?
In the article, “Claim Your Domain—and Your Online Presence,” Audrey Watters describes the value of the “manilla folder.” A tangible folder containing all the drawings and stories from your childhood, and all the assignments and tests from grade school. The benefits of having this folder whether it be sitting in a dusty attic or cluttered basement are that it is not only easily accessible but it contains the ‘middleman.’ Therefore, it is important to recognize the concern of whether technology impedes the creativity of the creator.
Bush describes the great predictions he has for the future in terms of photography, medicine, and literature. One is the idea of an electronic book— a technological advancement that is used almost daily for people all over the world. This is just one of the many examples of the concept of evolution in terms of technology. As our world is becoming gradually more and more digitalized, and utilities are being created to promote efficiency and productivity. Being that this article was written in 1945, there was ample room for creative technological improvement. As I read this article now, I believe that the advances that have occurred since 1945 have benefitted our society greatly in terms of communication, the arts, and the sciences.
