a study about tablet computer using 5 theses from postman about technological change as its analytical tool

1. The Use of Tablet Computer
and Its Impact
A media ecological study
The 3rd International Communication Research Conference
London School of Public Relations (LSPR)
Jakarta, April 27 – 28, 2012
Subekti W. Priyadharma, S.Sos., MA.
@swpriyadharma
subekti.w.priyadharma@unpad.ac.id

2. Research Background
• ICT development and its industry
• Globalisation  free trade  ACFTA (Jan 2010)
• Indonesia as huge market
• Advertising; mass culture; consumerism; mass
society
• Industrial society; information society; network
society
• Blackberry, social media  tablet computer

3. Research focus:
Postman’s theses on technological change
All technological change is a trade-off.
Advantages and disadvantages of new technologies
are never distributed evenly among the population.
Embedded in every technology there is a powerful
idea.
Technological change is not additive; it is ecological.
Media tend to become mythic.

4. “All technological change is a trade-off.”
• A Faustian bargain
“For every advantage a new technology offers, there is
always a corresponding disadvantage [...] the greater the
wonders of a technology, the greater will be its negative
consequences [...] That the question, “What will a new
technology do?” is no more important than the question,
“What will a new technology undo?”” (Postman, 1998: 1-2)

5. “Advantages and disadvantages of new
technologies are never distributed evenly among
the population.”
• There are always winners and loosers in
technological change
“The questions, then [...] are these: Who specifically
benefits from the development of a new technology? [...]
And, of course, which groups of peoplewill thereby be
harmed?” (Ibid.: 3)

6. “Embedded in every technology there is
a powerful idea.”
• Hidden from our view  abstract nature
• Bias in technology (Innis)
• “The medium is the message” (McLuhan)
“Every technology has a prejudice [...] it predisposes us to
favor and value certain perspectives and accomplishments.”
(Ibid.: 4)

7. “Technological change is not additive;
it is ecological.”
• The philosophy of water + ink ≠ water + oil
• Printing press; television + society = ??
“The consequences of technological change are always vast,
often unpredictable and largely irreversible.” (Ibid.: 5)

8. “Media tend to become mythic.”
• Tendency to think as if they were God-given
• Part of natural order of things
• Taken-for-granted
“Science can purify religion from error and superstition.
Religion can purify science from idolatry and false
absolutes.” (Pope John Paul II, in Ibid.: 6)

9. Brief theoretical consideration
• Technology innovation in society
• Technological determinism
 The medium is the message  massage 
mass-age  mess-age
 Technological change  social change
 Cybernetics
 Media ecology (soft way)
(Bell, Castell, Innnis, McLuhan, Postman, Giesecke, etc.)

10. Method
Galaxy
Tab
Researcher
ZTE
Ipad
Ipad
Galaxy
Tab
Generic qualitative
inquiry with focus
group discussion as
its data collecting
method

11. “All technological change is a trade-off.”
• Plus:
▫ Information (of all kinds) seeking
▫ Note taking
▫ Archiving
• Minus:
▫ Loosing quality time
▫ Writing skill in terms of motoric action
▫ Writing skill as a systematic approach of expressing
ideas
▫ Psychologically dependent
▫ De Quervain & Carpal Tunnel Syndrom (Kompas,
April 1st, 2012)
Result and Discussion

12. “Advantages and disadvantages of new
technologies are never distributed evenly among
the population.”
In combine with social media and BB (new digital
media environment):
• Quality time: Family and friends
• Games, browsing, youtube
• Family gathering culture at dining table
▫ “Culture always pays the price”

13. “Embedded in every technology there is
a powerful idea.”
• Bias on:
▫ Writing skill (ability of long writing technique;
developing ideas)
▫ Reading skill (tiredness because of short sentences
reading habit in social media)
▫ Speaking/talking (emoticon influence on
expressing ideas/feeling in f2f situation)
▫ Physical material (since all content embedded in
tablet are virlual): emotional feeling when:
 Touching and turning book pages
 Element of joy when seeing our books turning
wrinkled/crumpled

14. „Medium is the message“
• “Since I have FB account, my life becomes too
quiet/lonely to live alone”  the idea behind
social media (accessed by tablet or smartphone)
• Those influences are not so excessive because
tablet perceived as secondary gadget.

15. “Technological change is not additive;
it is ecological.”
Combining with the use of other new digital
gadget (BB):
• Communication behavior
• Social interaction (degree; dependent on
partner’s ownership of gadget)
• “Dinner culture”
• First information source
• Baby sitting:
▫ Dad showing cartoon to his baby
▫ Mom letting son playing game

16. “Media tend to become mythic.”
• Prestige; style (gaya)
• Well-informed, educated, wealthy people, high-
tech identity
• ‚Slide /touch generation‘ (modern; one step
ahead; cool)
• Brand identity (Apple/iPad; Samsung/Galaxy-
Tab; ZTE/China tablet)  self identity

17. Conclusion
• Not only use value, but symbol value was
considered more important
• Symbol value of self identity emerged from
tablet (prestige)
• It is ecological in the way they have influenced
our social and cultural environment
• Technologie über alles??
• „We many (should) use technology rather than
be used by it.“ (Postman, 1998: 6)

18. References
• Caelli, K., Ray, L., & Mill, J. (2003): ‘Clear as Mud’: Toward greater
clarity in generic qualitative research. International Journal of
Qualitative Methods, 2(2). Article 1. Retrieved April 23, 2012 from
http://www.ualberta.ca/~iiqm/backissues/2_2/pdf/caellietal.pdf
• Flew, Terry (2005): New Media: An Introduction. South Melbourne:
Oxford University Press.
• Innis, Harold (1951): The Bias of Communication. Toronto: University
of Toronto Press.
• McLuhan, M. (1964): Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man.
London: MIT Press.
• Postman, Neil (1998): Five Things We Need to Know About
Tecnological Change. Retrieved April 23, 2012 from
http://www.mat.upm.es/~jcm/neil-postman--five-things.html