The Impact of Emergent Technologies On
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The University of San Francisco USF Scholarship: a digital repository @ Gleeson Library | Geschke Center Doctoral Dissertations Theses, Dissertations, Capstones and Projects 2011 The impact of emergent technologies on interpersonal and community interaction of the future : a thematic analysis of selected novels of William Gibson and Vernor Vinge Lyn Motai Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.usfca.edu/diss Part of the Education Commons Recommended Citation Motai, Lyn, "The impact of emergent technologies on interpersonal and community interaction of the future : a thematic analysis of selected novels of William Gibson and Vernor Vinge" (2011). Doctoral Dissertations. 224. https://repository.usfca.edu/diss/224 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses, Dissertations, Capstones and Projects at USF Scholarship: a digital repository @ Gleeson Library | Geschke Center. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of USF Scholarship: a digital repository @ Gleeson Library | Geschke Center. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The University of San Francisco THE IMPACT OF EMERGENT TECHNOLOGIES ON INTERPERSONAL AND COMMUNITY INTERACTION OF THE FUTURE: A THEMATIC ANALYSIS OF SELECTED NOVELS OF WILLIAM GIBSON AND VERNOR VINGE A Dissertation Presented To The Faculty of the School of Education Department of Leadership Studies Organization and Leadership Program In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Education by Lyn Motai San Francisco May 2011 University of San Francisco Dissertation Abstract The Impact of Emergent Technologies on Interpersonal and Community Interaction of the Future: A Thematic Analysis of Selected Novels of William Gibson and Vernor Vinge The purpose of the study was to examine potential changes, generated by technology, in future interpersonal and community interaction. Insights into future social realities were sought through analysis of the literature of speculative fiction involved a thematic analysis of Vinge’s True Names (2001) and Rainbows End (2006), and Gibson’s Neuromancer (2000) and All Tomorrow’s Parties (1999). The continuous change in present-time modes and mores of social interaction engendered by new technologies raised questions about how the concept of human connectedness would change, if at all, in societies of the near future, and of whether the changes would benefit or threaten the viability of society. Because the potential for harmonious and collaborative interaction is one measure of sustainability in both interpersonal and community relations, it was thought that an examination of technology-created change in the future would provoke gainful reflection upon the ways in which technological development best served the complex, interdependent, and emergent world that human beings inhabit. The research method involved a thematic analysis of the novels under study. Criteria for the novels’ inclusion encompassed their relevance to future technology- generated communication and their applicability to the research questions of the study. Societies depicted in the novels were further examined for their integration of the principles of complexity science, utilizing Goerner’s (1999) model of a future, complexity-based Dynamic Web World as a point of comparison. Six themes recurred in each of the novels: (a) the technology-enabled autonomy of the individual to create an alternate persona; (b) the re-definition of place and community; (c) the advent of technology as a force in social equality; (d) the distrust of government and corporate stewardship; (e) the enduring values of family, friendship, and love; and (f) the dawn of self-aware Artificial Intelligence, bringing with it consequences potentially beyond human control or comprehension. Conclusions indicated that, in the societies analyzed, technology was both the cause and mechanism of changing definitions of reality, community, and place; that the societies exhibited both adaptation and non-adaptation to new technologies; that the importance of real-world relationships endured; and that the advent of self-aware AI was on the near horizon. This dissertation, written under the direction of the candidate’s dissertation committee and approved by the members of the committee, has been presented to and accepted by the Faculty of the School of Education in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education. The contents and research methodologies presented in this work represent the work of the candidate alone. Lyn Motai May 18, 2011 Candidate Date Dissertation Committee Dr. Patricia Mitchell, Chairperson May 18, 2011 Date Dr. Gini Shimabukuro May 18, 2011 Date Dr. Richard W. Stackman May 18, 2011 Date ii Acknowledgements I would like to acknowledge first the invaluable support and insights of my adviser, Dr. Patricia Mitchell, in the final stages of this dissertation. I was able to ask for guidance at any time and receive immediate and careful attention to my many questions. I would also like to acknowledge her as one of the teachers who inspired me through the sharing of her knowledge and experience, as well as her commitment to and genuine caring for her students. I would also like to acknowledge my committee members, Dr. Gini Shimabukuro and Dr. Richard Stackman. I am so appreciative of their meticulous examination of my work, interest in the study’s research topic, and creative suggestions for the clarity and expansion of the finished product. To Dr. Shimabukuro I would like to extend my gratitude for the invaluable knowledge of the dissertation process that I received in her Dissertation Proposal Seminar, and for her encouragement, positivity, and sharing throughout the entire process. I also thank both Dr. Stackman and Dr. Shimabukuro for staying with me through the changes along the path to completion of my study. I also want to acknowledge Dr. Deborah Bloch for the intellectually challenging courses she taught during my doctoral coursework and her encouragement of my desire to pursue a slightly unusual approach to the subject matter under study. I want to acknowledge the School of Education and staff members Janet Snyder and Thanh Ly for their always efficient and patient help. Thanks also go to the Associate Dean of the School of Education, Dr. Dan McPherson, and Department of Leadership Studies Chair, Dr. Christopher Thomas, for their timely and efficient help in facilitating my progress toward the completion of my doctorate. iii Many others have encouraged and supported me in their unique and wonderful ways: Dina Gardner, Cathy Corcoran and Noelle, Sheila Yuter, Mark Roberge, and Sherry Katsuhisa. Special thanks to Lindsay Laven, for her friendship and also her formatting expertise, so willingly shared, and to my editor, Emmy Goldknopf, for the careful attention she gave throughout the editing process to the form of words as well as to their contextual meanings. I thank my family members, who have been my enthusiastic supporters throughout: Bob, brother and dearest friend, and Lisa, Tom and Mari. To Rob, who I’ve watched, during the years I pursued this dissertation, become a successful and striving young man, with values I am proud of, I extend my thanks for letting me know that, beyond the completion of this dissertation, I’ve done my most important job well. Finally, to Izumi, for the many, many ways he stepped forward to care for and support me in this process, I want to express my love and gratitude. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements.......................................................................................................... iii List of Tables.................................................................................................................. viii CHAPTER I: THE RESEARCH PROBLEM.................................................................. 1 Statement of the Problem ..................................................................................... 1 Purpose of the Study............................................................................................. 2 Background and Need........................................................................................... 3 Speculative Fiction as it Reflects the Past and Future............................. 3 Current Social Constructs and the Influences of Technology................. 6 The Characteristics of Social Networks ...................................... 6 Two Views of Future Social Interaction in Consequence of Technology.............................................................................. 7 Negative Influences on Future Social Interaction in Consequence of Technology........................................................ 8 Positive Influences on Social Interaction as a Consequence of Technology....................................................... 11 Theoretical Model............................................................................................... 13 Goerner’s Model of The Dynamic Web World...................................... 13 Complexity in a Dynamic Web World................................................... 15 The Characteristics of Complex Adaptive Entities in Complex Systems........................................................................ 17 Section Summary................................................................................................ 19 Research Questions............................................................................................