Such is the scale of change wrought by the current Digital Age that it is being compared with the profound changes that occurred as a result of the invention of printing in the 15th century, and the industrial revolution of the 18th century. Every new wave of technology produces changes. Some of these changes are immediately welcome, and their benefits obvious. Some changes are easy to see and predict. Other changes take time, are less immediately obvious, and are not always welcome. With each change, with each gain, there is some loss. We are clearly in the middle of massive technology driven change. What then are we losing? Is this loss an inevitable consequence of change? Should we be trying to identify practices and values that ought not to change, or has that horse already bolted? Message re licensing of this content This content was uploaded to Slideshare before it was taken over by Scribd. My intention was always to offer my content for free via Creative Commons licensing. Scribd now has locked the content behind a paywall where you have to provide credit card details before you can download it. I totally disagree with this kind of exploitation of previously free content but it apparently is legal for Scribd to do this. However, you can still download this content without messing around with credit card nonsense if you go to the original Slideshare site of this presentation. Sorry for the hassle, but it is Scribd's doing - not mine. - MIchael Coghlan (michaelc)

1. DOES
IT
MATTER?
WHAT
ARE
WE
LOSING?
TECHNOLOGY:
Education and Technology Meetup
Adelaide
Feb 6th, 2018

2. ABSTRACT/DESCRIPTION
Such is the scale of change wrought by the current Digital Age that it is being
compared with the profound changes that occurred as a result of the
invention of printing in the 15th century, and the industrial revolution of the
18th century. Every new wave of technology produces changes. Some of
these changes are immediately welcome, and their benefits obvious. Some
changes are easy to see and predict. Other changes take time, are less
immediately obvious, and are not always welcome. With each change, with
each gain, there is some loss.
We are clearly in the middle of massive technology driven change. What
then might we be losing? Is this loss an inevitable consequence of change?
Should we be trying to identify practices and values that ought not to
change, or has that horse already bolted?

5. WHAT’S THE TIME?

6. “If I can’t take a photograph
or film it I’m not interested.”

7. SELFIES AND ME TOURISM
WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE?
(borrowed from Alec Couros)
Being seen by your peers in a photograph somewhere
exotic is for some more important than the place itself. Some
people are travelling to places not because they want to be there,
but because they want to be seen there.

8. ARE WE LOSING OUR SENSE OF PLACE?

9. PHONE A FRIEND
We are never alone with uncertainty.
We are in constant contact with others at all times.
The mind is never free to wander aimlessly…..

10. EMPATHY

11. FACEBOOKISTAN
ARE WE OWNED BY GOOGLE AND FACEBOOK?
DOES PRIVACY STILL EXIST?
DID IT EVER EXIST?

12. DISINTERMEDIATION/INDIVIDUALISATION
UBER
FACEBOOK FEED
EXPEDIA
AIR BNB

13. GREATER PERSONAL AGENCY
– but at what cost?

14. FRACTURED REALITY –
no longer shared

15. 24/7 NEWS
CYCLE
MEDIA
STANDARDS
Where have all the experts gone?

16. GOODBYE (LONG DISTANCE) TRUCK DRIVERS
America has approx. 3.5m professional truck drivers
Australia: trucking industry employs at least
300,000 people
Is it time for a UBI (universal basic income)?
WILL WE ALL BE ABLE TO WORK?
DO WE NEED TO WORK?

17. DISCUSSION FOCUS
• Disintermediation
• Fragmentation
• Increased Agency
• The 24/7 news cycle
• Narcissism: selfie tourism
• Are we owned by Google and
Facebook?
• Do we need to work? The UBI
• Is privacy dead?
• Is the mediated self real?
• Are we losing the sense of
place?
• Loss of Empathy
• Living with uncertainty

18. USE YOUR OWN PRE-INSTALLED APPS
Boredom is your psyche doing you a favour. It’s
a sign that you’re not working hard enough!
Johan Norberg: Progress: Ten Reasons to Look
Forward to the Future

19. IS IT TOO LATE FOR
GLOBAL META-AWARENESS?
No notion of coherent ethics in technology development.
Nobody in a position to question the wisdom of propriety
of a particular direction.
Radical Technologies
Adam Greenfield

20. ADAM GREENFIELD:
• “It is exceedingly hard to outright refuse something that has become
part of you – and made you part of it.”
• “Current radical technologies have the power to transform the very
ground of our social being … and it is difficult to imagine that any
choice we make as individuals or small clusters can do much to
undermine the prerogatives of the institutions of scale that are
interested in seeing this transformation made real.”

21. THE EDUCATIONAL CONTEXT?
HAVE
THIS
CONVERSATION

23. FEEDBACK
• Great show this evening (Stav Morris)
• Michael spoke from the heart and caught a breeze of agreement
Opened up a conversation about what we want ... for ourselves and
for our future ... thanks Michael (Mark Keough)
• Insightful. Ironically gave me reason to pause and reflect (Tracey
Johnson)
• Thanks Michael, not the usual blind tech euphoria. Pause for thought!
Very worthwhile. (Leo Gaggl)
Michael Coghlan
michaelc@chariot.net.au