As We May Think

"As We May Think," by Vannevar Bush, provides insight to the jobs of scientists during wars. Bush suggests that current methods of sending and reviewing information are not effective. Luckily, technology is advancing more and more everyday, so the way people consume information has changed drastically. Now, there are interactive web pages and virtual reality programs that provide a visual aid along with data which can help people comprehend information more efficiently. Videos are also used as a means to help people retain information.

Many of Bush's predictions about technology actually came true, such as the Cyclops Camera and the Vocoder. The Cyclops Camera sounds very similar to GoPro cameras. As for the Vocoder, phones now have the speech-to-text option which allows the user to send text messages by speaking into the microphone on their cellphone. Computers have similar abilities to his "selection devices" because users can search through different information by using search engines. Finally, smartphones have the abilities of the Memex, Vocoder, dry photography, and selection devices all contained within one device.

I believe the Memex that Bush is talking about is the internet that we have today. We have access to information and news from all over the world that is readily available at all times of the day. This information can be easily accessed right from our phones as well, so there is no need to travel to a library. Records can be uploaded right to the internet and do not need to be printed. The problem, however, is that distinguishing between real and fake information has become difficult due to user-generated content. Anyone who has access to the internet can post information which may or may not be legitimate.


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