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Instructions

Background:In Electric Funeral, Chuck Klosterman considers the idea of villainy, specifically in regard to the inevitability of technological progress. Klosterman argues that we villainize technocrats because of our inherent fear of the proliferation of technology throughout all aspects of our lives. Indeed, every day we encounter news articles, specials, and other analyses of the ways that technology is negatively impacting our lives. For Klosterman, this is a fruitless battle, because as he says The future makes the rules, so theres no point in being mad when the future wins (225). He discusses three techno-villains in-depth: Perez Hilton, Julian Assange, and Kim Dotcom in this context--we hate them because they are unbeatable, just as technological progress itself is unstoppable.Assignment:Research an example of technological villainy of your choosing in order to apply Klostermans argument and consider for yourself the costs of technological progress. Can technology be stopped? How much should we blame specific technologies (such as Facebook) or tech figures (such as Mark Zuckerberg) for bad consequences of technology, and how much are users themselves implicated? Consider the costs and benefits of technological progress as you develop your analysis. How do you define a villain/villainy? What is the difference between demonizing a piece of technology versus demonizing a person associated with technology? Is there a way to stop or slow down technological progress? Should this be attempted or considered? For this assignment, you will investigate and analyze a consequence of bad technology, extending Klosterman and also researching additional primary and secondary sources for examination. Your essay should apply Klosterman for help along with 3-5 additional primary and secondary sources to help you build your analysis. Your primary sources in this assignment will be examples of bad technology that you are analyzing. Your secondary sources should include critical and/or scholarly sources that help you analyze your primary texts. They may provide information as well as analytical help.

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