Diving Into "Open Sky"

Paul Virilio's book Open Sky radically addresses the evolving world of media and technology and how it is effecting our lives. While the content was slightly intimidating at first, once I finished the first of three parts in the book, I was better able to understand the interesting and innovative claims made about our information overwhelmed culture.

One of the first concepts that truly resonated with me was that of "generalized arrival", or that of an object or piece of information arriving without ever having to truly leave the previous location. While I am sure this mind bending concept is not something people ponder (or even notice) often, it is amazing to think of the high paced, highly digital world we live in. Just think, the minute I post this blog writing, the information will have reached your screen without myself or the writing ever truly leaving my desk. Crazy, right?

In thinking about such phenomenon, it is also important to question how such changes in time and space effect our society. In the book, Virilio discusses how people become "channel-surfing" automatons when we have significantly less work to do with our own minds. Again, just think, how many websites are there that can convert measurements for you? How many applications on the phone that can do such human things as lock the front doors of your home? How many banks where you no longer have to deal with a human teller to deposit a check? Much like all eras of technology have changed the public in which they are born, technology and the instantaneous ability of a machine to do exactly what we can do (if not better) raises questions of how we function as a culture.

It seems to me that one of Virilio's main concern is that such shifts to technology and a lulling waterfall of information makes us a more distant, less personal society. He begs the question of the importance of "real time" vs. "real space". In simpler times when the internet and machines didn't feed on our fascination, our society could flourish in an environment based on human contact, service, and a sense of common good. Now, in a world where "real time" dominates "real space", conversations are centered around the touch of a button, board meetings no longer require the people to sit around the same table, and dating is something often defined by an online profile.

Just an Virilio raises the argument of what we are willing to lose as a society to gain in technology and efficiency, I can't help but wonder if it is worth it to live in a world where "reality is ubiquitous". While I often look to my forms of technology-my phone, computer, tv- with fondness and appreciation, I can't help but ask what skills am I losing to be gaining a machine that will think for me?

What questions did the first portion of the book raise in your mind? Do you think technology fully helps or fully hinders a society (or a portion of both)? What are the fears associated with a technology dominated society?