Convergence blog post

The convergence of technology is a phenomenon that is exciting to some and daunting to others. Technological convergence involves different technological applications, over time, performing a similar set tasks. An example of convergent technology that is widely observable is the Iphone. This piece of technology exhibits the convergence of different pieces  of technology like a camera, cellphone, and video game console. This convergence creates a great amount of utility for the consumer, and allows more productive use of technology in general. Instead of having to carry around five different pieces of technology, the consumer can have one piece of technology that performs several functions.  As more powerful technology becomes cheaper, arguably convergence will become more “mainstream”, and more available to a greater amount of people. Another aspect of convergence is how it relates to what is commonly know as the “black box fallacy.”

Furthermore, convergence is a term that in layman's terms means different things approaching a single point or different in a technological sense different systems that do different functions that as time progresses they become more and more similar until eventually going to a single entity. A good example of this is the modern day, as previously mentioned, smart phone, it has the function of a cell phone and the function of a computer. One may ask why is this useful? Simply put, it makes our lives much easier and more convenient, no longer do we have to use separate devices to talk on the phone and browse the internet, we can now do it simultaneously. Technological convergence compels our society to become much more productive and faster, which yields interesting consequences. Such as one might say that as a society we have become less patient and expect things to be done more quickly, put plainly a need for instant gratification. With that being said the increase in productivity allows for more technological advancement and the ability to connect with others more quickly with convenience. As our society continues to advance so will the productivity of our devices and it would follow the notion of technological convergence will evolve and we can only speculate what kind of technology will permeate our lives in the future.  However, The Black Box fallacy suggests that a total convergence will not happen due to the fact that different companies will want to compete and having one product essentially will completely stop any kind of competition. Also companies are required to maximize profits therefore having one “black box” product would be counter intuitive and would not maximize profits due to there only being on product instead of multiple different products.

Convergence of technology is helpful to humans who find themselves needing to do multiple tasks on one device. This makes it easier for people to get certain jobs done faster, while also allowing people to use one device for everything. Allowing an individual to do multiple tasks on one device increases productivity rates which is an aspect that many enjoy. With technology continuing to grow, convergence will continue to be more and more a part of our lives and devices will be able to become even more efficient than they are now.