A reflection on Digital culture

This module has made me realize that we need to analyze and look at the digital world as a culture and understand where the direction of this culture is leading us. It would seem that some areas in the digital culture may not be progressing towards a positive outcome. Before taking this unit I was aware of some of the issues that were raised but didn't really look at the whole picture and bring it together. I have come to realize that the digital world is engulfed in everything that we do even though we may not realize it. It would seem that the digital world and the real world are blurring together and will one day become a singular from so it will redefine the phrase "digital world".

One of the most fascinating topics I covered for me was Robotics and development issues, cyberwarfare and cyborgs. I previously had some small knowledge about how robots were being used in war and the digital devices being used for humans but I didn't realize until studying the topic just how big the scale was in which robotic systems are taking over war and our body's. In the last 50 years robots have accelerated massively, taking over the battlefield, domestic chores, automotive, assembly and food packaging and production. I still think this is a massive problem because no one seems to care that these systems, all though great for productivity and execution, are dwindling job opportunities for people looking for work. For example, we always see in the news that car manufactures are laying people off because they don't want to pay them as it's cheaper for them to use robots to do the same job. These people then have no job and then get sucked into the  benefit system with no escape. It's not like the government will help, they aren't exactly looking after the economy as they should and building jobs. A government full of multi-millionaires seems to be out of touch with the common folk.

I think this is one of the most important areas to look at when studying digital culture. We need to find a solution so that the digital industry does not take away jobs from the average joe. I think we need to be also wary of how much we embrace digital culture, we need to detach and see the world for what it is otherwise we may end up like one of Kevin Warwick's heartless cyborgs, living a lonely existence.  

In conclusion I would like to say that digital culture is a key module for me whilst studying Journalism. I did not realize before starting this course how important this topic would be but I was pleasantly surprised that it covered many of my interests. In the future, many things we have discussed will be at the forefront of debate in which we will have to decide how to move forward with technology.