The same goes for more recent technology innovations, like the cell phone. The cell phone makes our voice and ears work remotely, and it's a natural extension of the body. We wouldn't think to scream to someone miles away, but the fact that we can talk to them is naturally embedded into the way we plan our day or the drive home.
There are many more examples of technology being appended to our natural abilities, but the biggest modifications are those that effect the mind - how we think. In this group we can filter down to a handful that have had a direct revolutionary effect on the very way we think and see the world.
One of the earliest (and possibly the greatest) technology that effects the mind is the written word, which allowed thoughts to be conveyed after the thinker was long gone. Socrates wasn't a fan of this 'new' technology because it removed the need to memorize, but few would doubt the benefits made it more than worth it.
Later the printed book arrived, which made these thoughts widely available. It introduced the concept of the introverted genius, where knowledge was primarily gained by long hours in books. This contrasted with Socrates time where the storyteller or bard - a performance - was the source for knowledge.
With each of these changes the way we think and view the world changed. It's important to take notes of how it has changed in the past because we are in the midst of a range of technologies that will have a major effect into the future.
No one had a personal computer when I was born in 1972. Virtually no one had a personal computer when I was 5 years old. A decade later it was a dedicated hobby that was very expensive, and very few people owned them. A decade after that it was well on the way to ubiquity. In regards to human history, this is but a blip, but the changes are drastic. We now live in a world where most people carry more processing power in their pocket, by way of a cell phone, than the entire world had just a few decades ago. As computing power moves to devices (from dedicated computers), we soon won't be able to recognize what's a computer and what isn't.
So, this is the revolution we are living in. I grew up in a world of books, but children born into this age will know nothing but computers. Knowledge was transferred as a straight line, from cover to cover, in the age of books. Now it will be hyperlinked and searchable - free to whim, skim and lacking focus. The way we think is being transformed to match, and that's not necessarily for the best.
Look at the letter - the primary form of communication over long distances throughout human history. It's something written on paper and sent through the mail service (physically) to a recipient. Personal communications via hand written letter have all but been replaced in just the last couple decades. A personal letter right now is like a horse and carriage for transportation - quaint and archaic and impractical. The email is what ultimately signed the death notice for the letter. Yet, email probably doesn't have much of a future, and will itself be supplanted by text messaging in the years to come. Email is already looked on by younger generations as quaint and a bit archaic, with the longer message length, full formating, lack of formal shorthand (lol, bff, wtf, etc) all being a waste of time.
More and more I fall in line with Socrates here, because I see far too many dangers in this new innovation. Yes, computers improve productivity in the workplace and can lead to more efficient processes (medical records, etc), but for personal use there is far too much noise before you find the benefits. Maybe people will learn to take the good and leave the bad as the technology matures, but that's a long way off, when it comes to our lifetimes. I don't want to spend my life being a beta tester, but in many respects I have no choice.
These are my thoughts, liberally borrowed, from the excellent and highly recommended book the The Shallows by Nicholas Carr
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