Read Csikszentmihalyi, Chapter 13, pp. 317-322
Watch the video

Read Adam Alter, Wired Magazine
https://www.wired.com/2017/03/irresistible-the-rise-of-addictive-technology-and-the-business-of-keeping-us-hooked/
In one detailed post, you’ll be considering Csikszentmihalyi’s claim that “every new meme—the car, the computer, the contraceptive pill, patriotism, or multiculturalism—changes the way we think and act, and has a potentially dark side that often reveals itself only when it is too late, after we have resigned ourselves that innovation is here to stay” (p. 319).

The “meme” you’ll focus on for your post is technology. This week’s sources are not intended to imply that technology is a bad thing. As we saw in the article “Participatory Revolution” and as we experience in our lives everyday, technology has revolutionized tools for creativity and problem-solving, and access to those tools is much less dependent on wealth and social class than ever before. However, because technology has become so ingrained in the fabric of our lives, a number of tech experts are sounding the alarm about unconscious consumption and unintended consequences—just as Csikszentmihalyi argued tends to happen with all cultural innovation. The video and article suggest just a few of the ways technology can impact our attention, our critical thinking, our persistence, our relationships, our compassion, and our creativity. Some of the optional sources represent just a few of the revelations published more and more regularly about Google, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube and their violations of user privacy and censorship of ideas.

In your post, be detailed enough to demonstrate your familiarity with all three of the assigned sources while reacting to what you see as the 2-3 most important potential “dark sides” of technology or particular types of technology. What do you think people should do with this information? Phrase your response as you would to a younger person you hope to influence in a positive way.