EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES TETRAD

 

Marshall McLuhan was constantly challenged to provide a scientific basis for his media observations. “McLuhan concluded that four things happen to all media and human artifacts; this phenomenon was inevitable, and they apply universally. Additionally, while some results may take years to make themselves apparent, McLuhan insisted that these things all happened simultaneously” (Horton.ednet, n.d.).

The four laws of media include (Thornburg, 2008b):

-           Extension/Enhancement:  Every technology extends or amplifies some organ or faculty of the user.  It does something new.

-           Closure/Obsolescence:  Because there is equilibrium in sensibility, when one area of experience is heightened or intensified, another is diminished or numbed.  The “new” drives an older technology into obsolescence.

-           Retrieval:  The content of any medium is an older medium.  A new technology rekindles something from the past – sometimes the very distant past.

-           Reversal:  Every form, pushed to the limit of its potential, reverses its characteristics.  Every technology sets the stage for its own replacement.

One technology that has gone through a series of progressions is the storage of data from our personal and business computers.  I remember when I was in high school and we were using a huge work processor.  This word processor used 8” floppy disks.  I remember how tough it was to transport these floppy disks back and forth to school and not bend them or damage them. Also, these floppy disks did not hold much data. If I remember correctly each assignment needed its own floppy disk.

In 1994 I bought my first Apple Mac computer.  The storage media for this computer was 3 ½” floppy disks.  These were much sturdier but still did not hold much data.  As I upgraded my computers, I also upgraded how I stored data and backed up my computer.  I slowly progressed from floppy disks to CDs/DVDs to USB flash drives.  Now the emerging technology (at least in my world right now) is personal cloud storage. 

For the purposes of this assignment I will use the progression of 8” floppy disks to personal cloud storage.  According to Seagate.com (2014), our email and photos are in the cloud.  If we use webmail and store our pictures on Facebook, Flickr, or Instagram, we are using the cloud.  Companies that connect employees’ computer workstations to a central server for efficient sharing of documents are using another form of the cloud.  The purpose of cloud computing is to make data accessible to multiple people, usually wirelessly and, at times, across large distances. 

One idea is the use of a private or personal cloud. Gartner Research (2014) states, “the personal cloud will replace the personal computer by 2014. The more people use mobile devices like smartphones and tablet computers, the more people will look for on-the-go access to all their personal content. Data won’t be tied up in your laptop; it will be in a cloud all your own” (Seagate, 2014).
 

McLuhan’s Tetrad Example:  Personal Cloud Storage

ENHANCHMENT   Personal Cloud Storage allows for secure access of data, etc.  Access of this data, etc. is easier to access through mobile devices such as smartphones and tablet computers.	OBSOLESCENSE   Floppy disks, CDs, DVDs, hard drives and flash drives.
RETRIEVAL   Return to when all data was stored on the computer’s hard drive (everything needed was in one place).	REVERSAL   Possibly a satellite-based personal cloud storage system.  This may be necessary so there are no restrictions on how much space the personal cloud storage allows.

 

Progression to Personal Cloud Storage

Floppy Disk Storage

ENHANCHMENT   Allows for data storage away from the hard drive.	OBSOLESCENSE   Makes the need for a large capacity hard drive obsolete.
RETRIEVAL   Brings back the convenience for accessing a data file in one location (i.e. a file cabinet of sorts).	REVERSAL   Higher capacity storage media

 

Progressing To:

CD/DVD Storage

ENHANCHMENT   Allows for more storage room per CD versus the floppy disk.	OBSOLESCENSE   Further makes the need for a large capacity hard drive obsolete.
RETRIEVAL   Brings back the convenience for accessing a data file in one location (i.e. a file cabinet of sorts).	REVERSAL   Higher capacity storage media.

 

Progressing To:

USB Flash Drive

ENHANCHMENT   Allows for a variety of storage sizes for data.  USB flash drives also offer a more convenient size for transporting data from computer to computer.	OBSOLESCENSE   Floppy disks, CD drives and large capacity hard drives are not necessary.
RETRIEVAL   Brings back the convenience for accessing a data file in one location (i.e. a file cabinet of sorts).	REVERSAL   Higher capacity storage media.

References

McLuhan's Laws of Media. (n.d.). Retrieved from

            http://www.horton.ednet.ns.ca/staff/scottbennett/media/

Thornburg, D. D. (2008b). Emerging technologies and McLuhan's Laws of Media. Lake

            Barrington, IL: Thornburg Center for Space Exploration.

What is a personal cloud? (2014). Retrieved from http://www.seagate.com/do-more/what-is-personal-cloud-master-dm/

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