The legacy of Marshal McLuhan, technological theorist of the 1960s. His works proposed that after a technology is created, it then changes who we are and the way we understand the world. He wrote several iconic books, and also coined the terms "the medium is the message" (that the structure of a medium has more of an impact than the content it puts forward) and "global village".
Most importantly for us, he developed a four-pronged pedagogical tool called the "tetrad", which can define any technology:
-What action does it enhance? (Enhancement)
-What method of doing things does it make obsolete? (Obsolescence)
-What does it retrieve that had been obsolesced earlier? (Retrieval)
-What does it become when pushed to its extreme? (Reversal)
Facebook Example
-Enhancement: The Facebook extends our personality onto the internet, widening our social network.
-Obsolescence: Facebook reduces the importance of direct social communication.
-Retrieval: Facebook retrieves the importance of a writing-based social communication, such as letter writing.
-Reversal: When pushed to its extreme, Facebook can result social isolation.
I HIGHLY recommend reading the Wikipedia article.
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