Technology Shapes Cultures

Technology influences everyday life and has a strong influence on culture. Find out how the people within different cultures choose to incorporate technologies. Today and since the dawn of homo sapiens, technology is embeded in peoples lives. In the 21st century technology is integral because not only is there the technology of lights and computers used in everyday life, but also our bodies are physically altered through vaccines and the medicine people take daily. Technology is imperative. So, technology is incorporated in all aspects of culture including travel, food, government, and art. Technology shapes different cultures and differentiates one from another. It allows us to intermix. Through technology of computers and teleconferencing, a specialized learner can access knowledge through a conference halfway across the world without leaving that persons’ home. Technology does allow for every opportunity to be afforded, but creates more opportunity than in the past. This technological advancement allows the opportunities previously separated by socioeconomic status to be taken away. Allowing a person from the U.S. with a lower income to have access to travel across the world to France to access the cultural differences and similarities and vice versa. The U.S. and France treat the consumption of food differently which is seen through the technology used to distribute food. The U.S. views meals as a means to an end. Typically in the U.S., meals are eaten in a short time span and on the go. Americans have the goal of traveling from point A to point B as quickly as possible. This differentiates the U.S. from France, where the individuals within French culture view meals as a social time to be enjoyed, savored, and valued. This can be seen through the technology of automobiles and fast food. The U.S. has drive through lanes for fast food, this technology of speaking through a speaker and receiving food through a window into a car creates a different culture and relationship with food in the U.S. Often, food is eaten quickly so the next project or activity can commence. Whereas, in France, fast food is accessible, but rarely are there drive through lanes within the fast food restaurants. Many French people will sit in a cafe or restaurant for hours eating food and socializing. The technology of having freezers with premade food and then being able to serve the food hot in minutes has shaped current culture. The technology of having a drive through lane is accessible to the people and culture within France. However, France chooses not to integrate the technology into their way of life, showing how people choose what technology to access thus shaping technology differently within each culture. In the U.S., technology built the foundation for a democratic society. To show what a culture and democracy values can be seen through the window of education and how school systems are organized. Kranzberg, a scholar of technology, sheds light on how technology has helped “…democratizing education and the intellectual realm of the the arts and humanities” (Kranzberg p.10). Democratisation of education in the U.S. has rendered children of all social statuses able to attend school and receive an education. Without the technological skill of forming a democratic system and communication devices, the democratisation of education would not have occurred. Through the technology of art, values can be seen within a culture. Art is the culmination of cultivated technological skills by a person. The technology of art can be explained by scholar David Nye’s idea of how technology is not just objects but skills. In France, art has been an extremely valued part of French culture for thousands of years. This is seen through King Louis XIV building the ornate palace of Versaille to the current French government promoting art museums. French students receive culture passes allowing them to have free or extremely discounted access to museums across the country. This opportunity from the government and cities shows how art is valued to the French people. The technology of art shapes the French culture. There is an interconnected relationship between humans and technology that exists. If humans are alive, technology is alive. Flowing through our veins and manipulated by our hands. Through people’s use of technology, technology has contributed to shaping and differentiating cultures.