To what extent has digital technology transformed travel?

To what extent has digital technology transformed travel?

This essay will be investigating on digital technology and how it has transformed travel: It will look into films, video games, portable media players and the Internet. Digital technology has significantly transformed travel in modern period for the worse. Human powered travel such as walking, travel by waters or use of animals has existed since time immemorial and was the most efficient way of travel before the industrial revolution. Living in an era of post-modernism, a lot of our travel can be inferential to be psychological.  Travel may be understood in a more abstract, disembodied sense of movement of the mind. For example when watching a film, one would be in another situation and location psychologically but not actually being there physically.

Digital technology has transformed travel by transforming and damaging culture. Digital technology causes differentiation between people; those who can and can’t use it and between those who can and can’t afford the technology. In this respect digital technology travel is responsible for social division.  

Video games are another form of digital technology that makes us travel psychologically and escape to another location and situation. The emergence of video games in the 21^st century has brought along with it controversy on whether video games are linked to violence. In 2007 ‘Man Hunt 2’ was banned by the British board of film classification (BBFC) for constantly encouraging youngsters to kill. The original game ‘Manhunt’ was certified 18. Although there’s no evidence, in 2004 the parents of a 14-year-old schoolboy victim believe the killer was inspired by the game.  In this respect digital technology travel is accountable for unsettling communities.

Travelling psychologically via digital technology has resulted to the negative impact of alienation. Portable media players such as iPods make us travel psychologically. Such technologies reinforce alienation between people: For example, people listening to iPods on the bus will not talk to each other as they have their headphones on. Psychological travel via video games is also accountable for alienation. Portable consoles such as ‘Nintendo DS’ and ‘PlayStation Portable’ create situation where a person can’t interact or socialise with anyone else.  As a result, digital technology can be liable for social transformation.

The development of digital technology has also brought along with it issues of privacy.  In to 2009 the controversial ‘Google Street View’ was introduced to the UK, a feature that provides 360° views of streets via the Internet, where people have been spotted leaving strip clubs and urinating in public. The feature has been seen by many to be invading the privacy of people and communities as the scheme went along without the public having their say or giving permission to be included in it. Google street view and digital technology has transformed travel as people can travel from to places without actually being there physically.

Sorry only 475 words so far. Ali.