The document discusses how the rise of personalized technology like remote controls and DVRs allows people to curate their own experiences and avoid surprises. It argues this could negatively impact society if the next generation grows up without the ability to be surprised or exposed to things outside their preferences. The document also includes discussion questions on the necessity of remote controls, how DVRs changed viewing habits, and the potential effects on a society without surprises. It credits the sources of an article and images used.

1. Why am I not surprised? Madeline Moy COM 546

2. “The creation and near-universal adoption of the remote control arguably marks the beginning of the era of the personalization of technology.”

3. Egocasting: the thoroughly personalized and extremely narrow pursuit of one’s personal taste

5. “The more control we can exercise over what we see and hear, the less prepared we are to be surprised.”

6. Discussion questions What was the supervening social necessity for the remote control? If you have a DVR, how has it changed your viewing habits? What will the effect be on American society if the next generation grows up without the capacity to be surprised?

7. Credits Rosen, C. (2005). The age of egocasting. The New Atlantis, 7, 51-72. “Women in a bright sweater being bored,” Microsoft Office Images “Teenage boy lying on couch,” Microsoft Office Images