1/26/11

(Some) Independence from Technology

Technology is great and it makes life easier, but consider for a moments that it may makes us lose connections with life giving sources. For instance, most of us that live in cities have become completely disconnected with our food economy. How food is  grown, where food is consumed, and how it affects us and our environment are all points that don’t cross the average person’s mind. If I think about taking away the technological infrastructure of something as basic as food consumption, I can begin to imagine a community created around and supporting a localized food production system that relies less on mechanized forms of growth and delivery and more on the power of people. Coop farming and gardening has brought great things to small struggling communities. The more common ideas a community shares, the closer they become, right? Could some technologies that claim to bring us together really be pushing us apart?

I also see communication as a life-giving source. Communications help share information and form the identity of a community. It can benefit and enhance the lives of few or many. Let us look at the models of communication that are at our fingertips, those models that rely heavily on technology. It seems that mass communications outlets have used technology to attain goals of increased advertising dollars more than provide the basic goal of informing people. Do technologically driven models of communication really have the community’s interests at heart? Maybe, if they are people driven (some blogs and not for profit websites for example) Does the speed and ease of accessibility to media outweigh the costs to the community? If the communication industry of a certain community is littered with commercial technologically driven models of communication, then how can information maintain a clarity that truly enhances one’s life, allowing people to build unfettered community mentalities? So rather than plugging into to technology to send our messages, Hotoff press uses more of an analogue approach. Whatever the print may be (an image, a news article or a history briefing), Hotoff’s goal is to use the community as an inspiration. Its goal is to have the print truly enhance the community through selfless acts of kindness and giving of information.

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