Group Project

I've been tasked with providing answers to three of my partners reading questions.  My partner is named Danny, and his blog can be found here: http://digitalrelic.tumblr.com/.  Here are my responses to his discussion questions.

1.  “'Political freedom has to be accompanied by a civil society literate enough and densely connected enough to discuss the issues presented to the public.' Does the internet and social media encourage this literacy, or does it do the opposite by allowing people to digest culture en masse without the need for intense critical thinking? "
  The internet and social media does provide the necessary tools to discuss the issues presented to the public.  Many people use the internet and social media for that exact purpose, but the majority use these for self-distraction.  The internet and social media function in both forms.

2.  "Would Bush be satisfied by things like Google and Wikipedia in relation to his idea of a Memex? Or would he still view them as too crude to truly deliver all the knowledge a person requires in an efficient manner?"
  I have feeling that Bush would love Google and Wikipedia.  I doubt he would find either to be crude or inefficient.  If one used a smart phone to create blog entries and post links, then they basically have a functioning memex.

3.  "Does technology really have intentions?"  
  An inventor will certainly have intentions for his or her invention, but I generally consider technology to be morally neutral and open to manipulation.  Someone can always find a use for technology that exceeds the inventors intentions and/or expectations.  The inventor doesn't always "know " the invention.  The computer comes to mind.