Open the Black Box

Is technology making us smarter or dumber? 

In today’s technological world, we are always in need of computers and electronics. There is no question that the use of electronics is growing at increasing rates. Laptops, computers, mobile phones, electronics are selling rapidly. With a touch of a button, we can make incredible things happen, even though we do not understand the technologies behind its function. But do we really know the part inside all electronics that controls its processes? This is known the “black box.” According to a review by the Economic, “the discovery of microprocessors, Integrated Circuits, microchips and engine controllers in cars are the black boxes that makes modern electronics possible.” But, have you ever wondered how the Integrated Circuits in Steve Job’s latest invention would help affect your life and your brain? Certain truths are already clear. It is stated in TechGeek.com that IC’s, microprocessors and microchips used in the creation of these inventions are the hidden components that controls the input and output processes of the device. But the real question is, how are the uses of these black boxes making us smarter? Or is it the death knell to human ingenuity?

According to an article by the Times magazine, the iPad was built to absorb media, curate music and photos as well as for connecting with other people. While these activities might make us more connected, or more organized, the basic truth is that we do not know the processes involved to make this possible. To integrate, we need microchips, to store memory, we need microprocessors. This is one of the social issues regarding the use of a black box in electronics. Studies have also shown that depending on computers to project as our brain diminishes certain aspects of our intelligence. In fact, it is making us lazier. We have grown to be so used to having computers that some of us cannot even solve simple problems without the use of a computer. Most of us do not even know how they work. It is also why some schools that have previously introduced laptops in the classroom have now decided to get rid of them, because they diminish test scores. It has become clear that the invention of these black boxes have replaced the world of human ingenuity.

There are those who feel that the functions and creation of the black box that are inside all electronics must be kept secret and not to be revealed to the public. Otherwise, people might start making copies of it, thus resulting in copyrights, frauds and the question of who invented it first. An example to this statement is the mass production of touch-screen gadgets of which company’s plagiarized the application and software when Apple invented its first touch-screen pad. This is also the reason why warranties are not given to customers for allowing them to open up their own devices. When a computer is broken, parts are replaced with new parts, without investigating the source of the problem within the parts. This may result in becoming an ethical issue, as it is the public’s right to know how their electronics are made and the parts included to make it.

It all boils down to this argument then, does the source of ingenuity and creativity come form one’s own brain or a computer’s? Some believe that the black box might be making us lose our creativity, as we have electronics and gadgets to think for us. But of course, many argue the opposite, that the black box in technologies improves key abilities such as it makes it easier to compile huge amounts of information and to find solutions to a problem. An example of such black box is the processor chip installed in calculators, which makes it easier for us, human beings to solve equations. Although there is always a risk of becoming less creative if shortcuts are used all the time and depend on the black box in your computers to look at things superficially rather than using our brains to understand the black box at a deeper level.

One way to ensure that the use of the black box in our electronics does not lead us to a generation of computer dependency and human ingenuity lacking individuals is through education. Therefore computer and technology classes in colleges should include lessons on Integrated circuits, microchips and other hidden black boxes in our electronics to a certain extend. This is so that our generation is equipped with the knowledge to break open the black box and invent new innovative technology in the future through human ingenuity. In the United States, diploma programs are offered in computer science to not only diagnose and replace parts in electronics, but also repair the anomaly inside the black box as well as the inventions of tomorrow. Thus, this approach of equipping students with preliminary knowledge to mend their own electronics through a diploma program will simultaneously turn the black box into a shiny white box.

In conclusion, one does not have to be a scientist or an expert to understand the black box. In fact, we can learn to figure it out for ourselves through a certain level of education that instills human ingenuity, creativity and intelligence within ourselves. Therefore, with the knowledge and information obtained, ethical issues such as plagiarism and copywriting can be avoided.