Tivo, Sex And You

los angeles, ca

what happens to sex when we have 100 hours of tivo to get through by the end of the week?

i’ve been thinking about adding tivo to my life, then i read this question in an article from a recent wired magazine sent to me by my friend jaime.

this article is a surface response to a much weightier article by christine rosen, senior editor of the new atlantis, titled the age of egocasting.

rosen suggests that technologies like the remote control, tivo and ipods contribute to what she calls “egocasting”, the highly personalized and narrow pursuit of one’s personal tastes.

in an interview on npr’s weekend edition, rosen pushed forward the idea that the danger we face is that we become so “enthusiastic” with the technologies themselves that we forget to ask what it is these technologies are for. [an excellent question that should not be forgotten by cultural architects].

she suggests that “these technologies risk making us incapable of ever being surprised. They cultivate not the cultivation of taste, but the numbing repetition of fetish.”

provocative suggestions. what do you think? is your technology helping you connect with others? is it freeing you to do what you need to do? or is it distancing you from those you love? has it become another master devouring your time? rosen’s interview on npr is nine minutes long and is definitely worth the time it takes to listen.

into the mystic…

© alex mcmanus, 2005

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Tags: Culture, Future, Mission