Mooc Madness

Today, I begin a new journey in a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) called E-learning and Digital Cultures  taught by Jeremy Knox, Sian Bayne, Hamish Macleod, Jen Ross, Christine Sinclair of the University of Edinburgh.

I have watched computers evolve from huge clunky monsters, to sleek portals into the world's information. The speed at which they change astounds me...but I am determined to adjust. The first lesson, about Utopias and Dystopias, contains a film to watch and analyze called Bendito Machine III.

According to the course notes: "This animated film tells the story of technological development in terms of ritual and worship - the characters in the film treat each new technology as god-like, appearing from the sky and causing the immediate substitution of the technology before it."

Here are my thoughts about the following questions.

What is this film suggesting are the ecological and social implications of an obsession or fixation on technology? 
Each time a new technology comes along, the old technology is wheeled to a cliff and dumped into the trash pile below. Scavenging birds pick at the remains. Eventually, the technology self-destructs, and in the process kills people and creates more trash. At first the technology seems to just fascinate the people, but eventually it controls them then destroys them.

Do the film’s characters have any choice in relation to their technologies? 
At first the characters have a choice because the obsession has not captured them yet, however as  the grip of the technology strengthens, the characters lose their sense of self and their sense of choice is obliterated.

What are the characteristics of various technologies as portrayed in this film?
The first technologies, the "bull" radio and the crank machine, are benign and well controlled by the people. The next technology, the television with legs, began relatively benignly, but became stronger and more independent and dangerous with time. The last technology was quite powerful and independent, and after wrecking havoc on the people and their village, self-destructed.