3 Stages of how Technology Changes the Way we Live

In today’s society, technology is indispensable. We no longer need to go to a McDonald’s restaurant to enjoy their food, instead we have Uber Eats deliver our meal right at our doorstep in an instant.

Technology now matters more than content, states Steve Griffiths. And as Marshall McLuhan used to say that “the medium is the message”, we can’t deny that Griffiths is right.

Steve talked about the three stages new technology goes through.Think about how technology has changed the way we live, these last couple of years.

Think about how the TV is still the centrepiece in our living rooms. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech wouldn’t be this famous if it hadn’t been broadcasted on television.

Or what about the radio and Orson Welles’ “War of the Worlds”? Welles was only able to cause such mass hysteria by brilliantly exploiting the potential of the radio as a mass communication medium.

Three stages technology goes through

Griffiths discerns three stages which technology goes through:

1. The gimmick stage

   In this stage nobody really knows how to use the technology. A nice example of technology that never made it past the gimmick phase is Google Glass.

2. The mirror stage

   During the mirror stage, we start to replicate. We start using the technology in the same way we do with other technology.

   For example, marketers used the same film formats on YouTube as they did on television.

3. The artform stage

In the final stage technology and content finally start to blend together. This is called the artform stage.

In this phase of maturation, it becomes clear that we need both technology and content to achieve the best result

As Griffiths says: “You need one for the other. It’s the same with the chicken or the egg dilemma, you can’t make an omelette without either one.”

In the same way, new and better technology provides opportunities for new and better content, while innovative and qualitative content reinforces the technology and pushes it to new levels.

Bol.com wowing book lovers using technology

A powerful example of the importance of technology and content is the stunt bol.com pulled at a book convention in Antwerp.

For a brief moment, they brought brilliant author Paul Van Ostaijen “back to life” thanks to technology.

How did they do it? By analysing old scraps containing van Ostaijen’s handwriting, they were able to develop a robotic arm that could perfectly copy the famed writer’s signature.

Of course, people flocked to their convention stand, because who wouldn’t want Paul van Ostaijen to sign their copy of Boem Paukeslag?

We can conclude that the relationship between technology and content today is and has to be symbiotic. Make the emotional aspect connect with technology, and watch the magic happen.