How prominent is Technopoly really?

This article submitted by Jason Welle on 7/17/02.

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Technopoly is one of the two most influential works that I encountered during college. It gave me a new view of the world, changing past concerns I held and aiding in the formation of new ideas and theories. Any person with their head on their shoulders and who is able to look at the world objectively can become assured that they are doing the right thing after having read this work, or any other of Postman’s writings for that matter. Any one who sees and ponders problems with society and culture is already ahead of the game. His critique of modern culture and the everyday practices we all take part in succeeds in providing an alternative framework to an understanding of the hectic, consumerist, and often-frivolous scenes we see in our lives. And very importantly, he is one of far too few that see a necessity in stepping back and looking at our culture to find its pitfalls and dangers. We need these people.

But do the images of Technopoly and Amusing Ourselves to Death reveal the true nature of what is really going on in society? In college, my sociology and anthropology classes bombarded us with terms such as standardization and efficiency or the words “society” and “technology” in the same sentence. These concepts, on an ideological level, were hardly uttered in my technical classes. In fact, concerns for technology’s effects on society were mentioned once… in a book… in my first engineering class, and never again. Luckily, I read it. Rather than being imbued with rhetoric of the wonders of technology and science, my fellow engineering students and I were pressured to scramble through five years of endless homework problems, early morning lectures by professors hell-bent on their subjects, and the struggle to have some life outside of academics. I was told about how much money I would make and the great companies that wanted us as the leaders of future industry. My resume was paramount and that certificate of degree at the end was a holy grail. And most of this came from the internship committee and company representatives I encountered. My professors offered little comment on our future after college. In the technical science curriculums, we are not taught to unquestioningly believe in a god of science and technology; we are taught to pursue career, personal fortune, and status. Science and technology are merely the vehicle.

Unfortunately, I did not live before the mid-70’s and cannot vouche for what children were interested in before then. I have some idea of what they were told. All I know is that I did not grow up with my peers consciously revering science and technology. It was fads, cars, and sports, among countless others.

I hardly believe that society blindly believes in standardization, bureaucracy, and efficiency with the fervor described in Technopoly. That isn’t what is on peoples’ minds in the workplace. They are more concerned with how much work they have heaped on them and how little time they have to do it. They are strained by how long their daily commute is and the lack of supervision and attention their children are getting.

Technopoly isn’t the goal and aspiration of society. It is a new vehicle to carry us to the same desires we have had for thousands of years. There are and have been many other vehicles. The world Technopoly has made is equally disturbing and fascinating. As my other truly inspirational mentor has said, “Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction.” Even stranger than Technopoly.

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