Introduction: Technology Is Transforming Human Lives
Technology is transforming human lives by revolutionizing how we communicate, work, and access information, reshaping the very fabric of our daily existence. The issue of the intervention of modern technology and betterment of human lives and habitat are now looming large over the horizon in this postmodern age. In their articles, Emily Badger and Molly Flatt have not only discussed the technological evolution from natural surroundings but has also shed some light on the use of technology to solve urban planning problems, leading the envisioning “smart cities” (Badger).
Technology Is Transforming Human Lives in Badger
In her article, “Tech Envisions the Ultimate Start-Up: An Entire City,” Emily Badger has argued that despite the revolution of digitization and digital products, San Francisco and other cities like it are witnessing traffic, homelessness and inequality income issues. Several technological experts are trying to resolve these issues with new ideas by designing new urban centers but the problem is the American way of constructing cities. She quotes an expert Mr. Huh who envisions new smart cities which could be “reinvention” of the old cities sans old rules like that the arrival of Uber in taxi cab service (Badger). She quotes another expert to bring home her audience that new smart cities will based on internet usage benefitting non-residents. The thesis of her article is that new thinking approach based on internet of thinking about urban planning and smart cities is going to become a future. However, it is another thing that technology and nature seldom seems to coalesce.
Technology Is Transforming Human Lives in Flatt
On the other hand, Molly Flatt shown this side of the argument in her article “Nature and Technology: Friends or Enemies?” in which she has presented her point that by the way human beings are preoccupied in suing tech gadgets, it seems that “we are always part of technology” (Flatt). Her main argument is that human beings have always innovated to meet their needs in this hostile world. However, this innovation has come from mimicking the natural objects. Therefore, technology can help in sustainability and conservation projects. Therefore, it is but natural that technology impacts human beings and their lives and in turn forces human beings to innovate new gadgets to make life easy and comfortable. Both her articles not only support the idea of technical innovation for the betterment of humanity but also shows human ingenuity to learn from the nature. Therefore, she argues technology can improve human lives as well as habitat.
Badger’s Argument and How Technology Is Transforming Human Lives
In order to prove her claim of technical innovation for betterment, Emily Badger has argued her position about the visionary thinking of the technological experts using as logos. In her articles, she has supported her claim of smart and modern cities by presenting ideas of Ben Huh, a technical expert as a strong logo who has also launched a company Y Combinator. She then uses comparison and contrast strategy of American urban planning and its flaws vis-à-vis Croatian cities to bring home her audience about the importance of environment and home urban planning. This is a very good use of kairos, for now is the perfect time to “reinvent” urban planning (Badger). In order to make it more convincing, she also uses opinions of economists and home buyers to prove that technological is going to impact not only urban planning but also home construction with the use of matching diction and style.
Badger’s Language and How Technology Is Transforming Human Lives
Emily Badger has used diction that is appropriate to the modern style incorporating technical jargons mingled neatly with rhetorical devices. The use of optimization, fantasizing, hubris, conflict, chips, hyperloop and utopia shows a good integration of literary diction with that of the modern technical jargons. This intermarriage of literary language with technical jargons have given birth to neologisms such as “NIMBYism” to show improvement in language for construction (Badger). Her use of metaphors such as of “tabula rasa”, simile of iPhone and compound wording such as “city-building, odd-sounding” and rhetorical questions have further adding to the effectiveness of her argument (Badger). The same is the case with the other article.
In “Nature and Technology: Friends and Enemies?” Molly Flatt has beautifully used, logos and pathos along with kairos. The use of ethos is clear from the sources such as Oxford Junior Dictionary, Christopher Potter, a philosopher, MySpace, a social networking site, Dr. Joppa, a scientist and several other companies to show that nature indeed helps improve technology and vice versa. She has used pathos of technology helping human beings to save lives and kairos by stating that technology is integrating into life of human beings very fast. This argument is quite topical and modern according to the time. However, the most effective point is the use of suitable diction, figurative language and rhetorical questions.
Molly Flatt has used metaphors at different places to show this intermarriage of technology with human lives. For example, she states that language is also “bridging the difference” (Flatt). She has used several suitable words that have entered everyday language such as “e-waste, broadband, analogue and cut and paste” (“Nature and Technology”). Moreover, she has also used rhetorical questions at different places to maker her readers believe that technology is indeed being molded by nature and nature by technology. In both of her articles, she has argued that technology is making human lives better through evolution in collaboration with nature and evolving situation.
On the other hand, Emily Badger has rightly argued in “Tech Envisions” through different opinions that mart cities are the need of the hour and that the Internet revolution is going to transform the way human being live. Her theory of better habitats and better places through the use of internet is convincing despite having a strong argument against it within it that utopias seldom succeed. At the same time, I do agree with her that these are the need of the hour and the future cities could benefit non-residents too. However, what I do not see is that she has not talked about the solid waste management, water supply and internet disruption issues in those modern cities. These problems would accompany but then they could be solved with the passage of time, for every solution comes with the problem and not before it.
In the same way, her argument in “Nature and Technology” is very good and convincing that technology is helping but it is not that every technical piece has evolved from mimicking nature. The examples given by her are just few. There are thousands of things which have come from the need of the hour rather than the imitation of nature. Moreover, she has also put forward the idea that technology is helping in conservation and preservation of environment, but at the same time, she has forgot that technology is playing havoc with the endangered species by helping hunters track them and hunt them down or by degrading environment through the production of more tech waste. I do, however, agree with her that nature helps us in many ways to make see that it sometimes is like technology but it actually is not the case.
Conclusion: Technology Is Transforming Human Lives
To Cut it short, both Emily Badger and Molly Flatt have beautifully presented their arguments in both articles “Nature and Technology” and “Tech Envisions” that technology is here to help human beings to improve their lives as well as habitat. Technology though seems a re-invention of the natural objects sometimes is more ingenious use of available and not-available objects prepared for immediate requirements. The common argument that technology is helping and could help human being build better cities and improve environment holds weight but at the same time both have not given much attention to several other problems that originate from the use of technology such as health and environmental pollution. Moreover, they have also not discussed the issue of energy supplied to technical objects and resultant issues. Besides this, the articles have very powerful supporting details of tech experts, their quotes and other examples. The language is also very good and suitable with good use of rhetorical and literary devices. The argument, though have some room for improvement is powerful and convincing.
Works Cited: Technology Is Transforming Human Lives
- Badger, Emily. ” Tech Vision the Ultimate Start-Up: An Entire City.” The New York Times. 24 Feb. 2018. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/…/tech-envisions-the-ultimate-start-up-an-entire-city.html. Accessed 18 March. 2023.
- Flat, Molly. “Nature and Technology: Friends or Enemies.” BBC. 16 Jul. 2015. www.bbc.com/earth/story/20150703-can-nature-and-technology-be-friends. Accessed 18 Mar. 2023.
Relevant Questions about Technology Is Transforming Human Lives
- How does the article “Tech Vision: The Ultimate Start-Up: An Entire City” by Emily Badger explore the concept of an entire city functioning as a tech start-up, and what potential impacts on human lives and urban living are discussed in the article?
- In Molly Flat’s article “Nature and Technology: Friends or Enemies,” how is the relationship between nature and technology examined, and what perspectives are presented on how these two forces can coexist harmoniously or be at odds?
- Considering both articles, how do they collectively contribute to the broader understanding of how technology is shaping the human experience, whether through city-scale innovations or in the dynamic interplay between nature and technological advancements?
