New technology has dramatically changed how we communicate and interact, and Michael Bugeja says that in doing so, it may slowly be eroding some of our core principles. Professor Bugeja of Iowa State University's Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication joins host Ben Kieffer during this hour of River to River.
Bugeja talks about ideas presented in his latest book: Interpersonal Divide in the Age of the Machine. In it, he explores what might happen if we allow machines to dictate our lives, and he says it could mean a loss of empathy, compassion, truth-telling, fairness, and responsibility. In their place, we may adopt machine values.
In his book, Bugeja says that we need to evaluate our technology use and be in control of when we use it. He suggests that it can be used for good, but first, we need to fully understand what we might give up, including important human values.
"We must reacquaint ourselves with the mediated effects of being digital and take stock of humane values that we may be in danger of abandoning at home, school and work, and decide whether this is the future we want for ourselves, our children, and our country," Bugeja writes.
