Nora Kornfeld- Are we losing control of our technology and culture?

         This Slack and Wise reading echoed Monday's class discussion about Technological Determinism. Their example comparing technology's relationship with culture and gun control was very interesting. I don't think I would have ever thought about comparing the two topics. A technological deterministic view of gun control says that the gun is responsible for killing, almost as if the gun " does roam around the world, affecting culture in such a way that killing with a gun is inevitable" (45). If this interpretation is correct, guns kill people, not people. However a Cultural Deterministic view says that culture is the cause and technology is the effect. Using the gun example, culture is both the effect and the cause of the gun. A cultural deterministic understanding states that people kill people. I do not think its fair to view something either through technological determinism or through cultural determinism. I think that a combination of both describe the relationship between technology and culture. I believe that technology advancements are some of the most historical changes that define society, but I also believe that different cultural demands lead to advancements in technology. Revolutionary technologies like the printing press, industrial technologies, and computers have all accounted for some of the most important changes in society. These technologies have changed cultures but also have been by those cultures.
          The chapter continues by discussing the control technologies have over culture. As information becomes more accessible, we start to have little or no control over the technologies we (or others) create. I agree with the idea that as we try to control the nature of technology more, we actually lose control of it. The Internet is a great example of a technology that has control over our culture. The Internet and other information technologies have created crises of control. Once information is put on the Internet it is available for anyone to take advantage of.
          The music industry is a perfect example of a technology that has lost control. Industry execs realized that they could sell more songs and albums on the Internet then they could in store, but they didn't realize how easy it would be for users to illegally download their music. Illegally downloading music has become so common in today's society. Lets be honest, probably more than half of the class is guilty of illegally downloading music. Four out of five digital music downloads are illegal. I'm not trying to scold anyone who illegally downloads music, but when you illegally download you are not only hurting the record label, you're also hurting the musicians you love. This illegally downloading trend is an example of a technology that is shaping culture. The Daily Finance article says this "wide prevalence of music theft is changing the musical marketplace for the worse, reducing the incentive for musicians and labels to develop and finance new projects." If we continue to take advantage of this technology and illegally download music, the music industry might not ever be the same.  
           I agree with the idea in Chapter 9 that most people go beyond thinking about change through the narrow and extreme viewpoints of technological determinism and cultural determinism. Most people, the chapter says, think about technologies in more varied and complex ways. It is important to remember that every person is going to have their own interpretation of technology and culture depending on their personal experiences. While they might have a cultural deterministic belief in gun control they may have a different belief regarding someone else. It is important to note that different aspects of technological culture will take on different interpretations.