The beginning of a new era

I was reading an article by Fred Khumalo (a Sunday Times Columnist) about social networking sites. This particular article was focused on the danger social networking sites pose to the English language - he addressed things such as grammar and spelling becoming endangered because of SMS lingo. Words such as LOL, OMG are among the words that have been added to the oxford dictionary. The article gave me some insight into the “bittersweet” things associated with technology as a whole. After reading it I had an urge to mention some of what I think are the bittersweet things about technology. The bitter side of technology will probably be the death of print media. Well, it might not be evident yet but it’s surely something to expect since Oxford English dictionaries will not be printed again, only electronic versions of the dictionary will be available. You probably thinking that the entire print media does not only comprise of the “Oxford dictionary” but everything starts somewhere. Besides, why can’t we go green by using handy gadgets such as the Apple Ipad and Amazon Kindle which can store 3000 or more e-books? Most rural libraries are lucky to even have 400 books. I’m not a frequent church-goer but one thing I know is that a pastor should always have a bible. On one particular Sunday morning I visited a church in Midrand and being the typical darkie that I am, I was surprise to see the pastor preaching without a bible. He just pulled out his Smartphone from his pocket and read the days scripture. With the look he got from the congregation he just had to excuse himself and give a brief explanation, all he said was “It translates the verses in to modern and understandable English”. I found it hard to believe but this is a true story I’m telling you. You would also be surprised by the things a person sees at these Caucasian churches. Anyway this is not an article about religion, let me get back to the point I’m trying to make. If one of the worlds best selling book (The Bible) is being replaced by some smart phone application then this defiantly tells me that funeral arrangements should be made for print media. Obviously it will take centuries or decades to see print media become a thing of the past but it is bound to happen in this world that technologically advances on a daily bases. For those who don’t know, I’m a Bsc (IT) student. I always try to keep myself updated on any technological advances or issues that happen. I got transfixed on a story about China increasing its firewall and enforcing constraints on the contents viewed on the internet because of the riots that were taking place. They blocked foreign websites and popular social networking sites (Facebook and Twitter) to contain reports of the pandemonium and riots taking place. Even after the hectic episodes that took place, the Chinese government has still not uplifted the ban on some of the foreign websites. It has implemented strict laws that regulate the content that its citizens are exposed to on the internet. Another occurrence that I just have to mention is the banning of blackberry phones in most countries because they pose a threat to national security. You’re probably asking yourself how on earth does it pose a threat. Thanks to Osama Bin Laden, most governments have become paranoid and precautious about terrorist attracts. So seeing as blackberry messages are encrypted and can not be decrypted by intelligence agencies, governments have taken it upon themselves to ban the phone unless the manufacturer gives them the decryption algorithm. All this comes to show the sweet side of technology, that it can be controlled or even destroyed if it proves to be a nuisance. With all the boundaries that are being breach in the nanotechnology and artificial intelligence sector, society will become dependent on technology to such an extent that we won’t even conceive living without it. You might say that I’ve been watching too many Matrix movies, but what I say is the truth or at least my version of the truth.