PLN 7- Machines Are Using Us

I found the video, “Web 2.0 ... The Machine is Us/Ing Us” to be very interesting.  It talked about how web content has changed from html form-based to the more powerful xml content-based entries.  It really made me realize just how much we are able to do with the computer.  We are able to write, edit, organize, add to and format content in just minutes where before computers … it would take hours.  The video also talked about it is not just “us” using the computer.  The computer is actually using “us”.  Every time we type text into a search window, we add to the global online database.  The more people ask from the computer, the more powerful the computer becomes.  If the machines start to use us, they could start controlling us, brainwash us so we become miscreants.  We will stop thinking for ourselves.  We will let the computer become our mind.  It matters to be personally, because if the computer starts to use me, it will become more powerful and I will learn less because that information is that much easier to get.  This matters to education because students need to remember and learn less and less because the computer remembers it for them.  We can just think, “oh I’ll just look it up later” instead of taking notes on a topic.  This matters to the world because the more intelligent and powerful the computer becomes, the less control we have as global occupants.  The above reasons explain why I don’t believe it is wise to let machines use “us”.