The future may contain more complex video games. Game designer and author Jane McGonigal argued in her case study Why I Love Bees that video games can teach collective intelligence. Her studies "advocates the use of mobile and digital technology to channel positive attitudes and collaboration in a real world context". She focuses on the way collective intelligence in alternate reality games can be used as a means for improving the quality of human life. Author Steven Johnson wrote in his 2005 book Everything Bad is Good For You about how popular culture is making us smarter, denouncing Neil Postman's theory that pop culture is dumbing down society. According to Johnson, video games now involved more critical thinking and we should give today's kids more credit. Video games have definitely involved over the years. Maybe the future contain video games with much more complexity to the point where beating a certain level in a game can determine the intelligence of a individual.
The future of media may just have a negative impact on society. MIT professor and author Sherry Turkle discussed the loss of human connection due to our online personas and personal devices in her 2011 book Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other. She describes us as "sociable robots". Over the years, we have been more in-tuned with our laptops and smart phones then we are to each other. She began her 2012 TED Talk titled "Connected, but alone" discussing the text message she received from her daughter describing how that message was the equilvalent to a hug from her daughter.
According to Turkle, communication devices change what we do as well as who we are. We have a fear of being alone and treat it as an illness. We need to be comfortable with being alone. In the future, this can possibly grow. Computing devices will replace actual humans in certain jobs. They are already replacing cashiers at certain supermarkets. Maybe we will stop partying, going out to eat, and social activities and stay at home creating and revamping our online personnas to only digitally connect with others.
The future of convergence cannot be determined as of now but it has involved greatly over the decades. Advanced technology has changed media as great deal positively and negatively. With today's media, we can assume what is ahead of us and we cannot know what is coming because media will continue to evolve day by day.
Sherry Turkle- TED Talk
Jane McGonigal- Why I Love Bees
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