Is Technology Limiting Creativity? No

Disclosure: Millennium River is an independent website that uses hyperlinks. Some of these links are affiliate links. When you click and purchase a product(s) through these links, I may earn a commission on qualifying sales. This is done at no extra expense to you. You may also support this website via PayPal. Unless it is clearly stated, the content is not sponsored. Lastly, the opinion in this essay does not necessarily reflect Millennium River’s beliefs on the subject being discussed.

Creativity Versus Technology

Technology has spawned from creativity. Creativity has reached newer heights as a result of advancement in technology. Does everyone agree with this? Certainly not. Some think that modern technology has reached the point, that it is now limiting creativity. Why? Because the inspirations behind the ideas being brought forth are becoming increasingly unoriginal. Is it true? There is some truth to this, but not all forms of technology are creative, nor should technology be blamed for the alleged decline in creativity. Technology is the practical application of knowledge especially in a particular area. As with many other things in life, it must be used responsibly.

Technology has led to numerous breakthroughs, improvements and sources of entertainment:

1. Technology has led to life-saving medical advancements
2. Technology has led to the creation of many beloved Internet websites and brands
3. Technology has made it easier to share and create

Less Dangerous Medicinal Creativity

Technology, the creation of the Internet, and updated medicinal practices has allowed for less harmful medicinal treatment.

Tobacco is one excellent example of this. The plant at one point, was actually considered to be good for the human body. Doctors and other pseudoscientists would insist that it was a good stress reliever, cleared up the throat, and is sociable and fun. Thankfully, these claims have been long tossed out, due to better knowledge and research made possible by better research facilities through technology.

Eating 500 grams of blueberries a day will stop hair loss in both men and women. It will also grow back bald spots. Such bold claims a century ago, would likely have people convinced that it is actually true. Thanks to today’s technology and better educated minds, such creative medicinal claims will no longer have the masses take their word for it.

The point above may sound like an argument against technology. This is thanks to mediums that allowed groups to promote such nonsense. However, it makes society glad that such claims can no longer fly through without facing scrutiny.

Many Brands and Websites Were Born

As a result of both creativity and technology, thousands of websites and brands have been born over the last two decades.

Google, YouTube, WordPress, Instagram, Twitter, Amazon, eBay, Pinterest, DeviantArt, Quora and Microsoft are just a scratch on the surface for the sheer number of websites in existence. Some are more popular than others, though all of them mentioned are high-traffic examples.

Another major example of technology, creativity and innovation would be Tesla. As many very well know by now, this is an automaker that specializes in a portfolio of only all-electric vehicles. A decade ago, they were very small and had only one vehicle in the lineup. Not very many automakers cared about making serious all-electric cars. There was Rimac Automobili that launched around a similar time. Now, there is the upcoming Faraday Future and Lucid Motors — both companies with only all-electric cars in their portfolio. Not only this, but several traditional automakers have finally gotten serious about expanding their all-electric lineup. They are also getting creative, too.

While these companies have had their fair share of issues, faults and scandals, the concept and idea of them are beautiful examples of technology and creativity.

Sharing Is Easier Than Ever Before

Thanks to the Internet and better, faster, more efficient, high-tech modes of transportation, sharing works their various mediums is quicker than ever before.

Artwork and photographs. With the Internet, computers and smartphones in existence, sharing a drawing or photograph can be shared to the world by posting it on websites such as Instagram, ArtStation, Artsy, Etsy, DeviantArt and Pixiv to name a few. On top of this, some websites even offer translation tools to translate texts. This makes it understandable to a viewer who has no knowledge of the language’s text they are reading.

Another similar example would be international purchases. For example: a Canadian can purchase something from the United Kingdom, without waiting for a ship to ferry it over. The invention of airplanes plays a major role in the speed and ease of delivery here, as well as the logistics, shipping, receiving and other things used in the process of dealing with international orders.

It is clear that technology has made it much less of a burden, and more of a joy to share works and products easily with countries from all over the world.

Technology Is Growing Creativity

Technology has allowed for better and more careful medicinal advancements. It has allowed many brands and websites enjoyed today, to come into being. And it has made it quicker, easier and safer to share and transport products and ideas. Could the evidence of technology growing creativity be any stronger?

With the technology that exists in 2018, and the technology to come, the future holds many things. It would be overly romantic to consider it all good and no bad. With greater technology, will come greater curiosity and experimentation. In fact, technology has made some too creative. As mentioned earlier, technology, like other things in life, must be used responsibly and in moderation.

Is Technology Limiting Creativity? Yes

Disclosure: Millennium River is an independent website that uses hyperlinks. Some of these links are affiliate links. When you click and purchase a product(s) through these links, I may earn a commission on qualifying sales. This is done at no extra expense to you. You may also support this website via PayPal. Unless it is clearly stated, the content is not sponsored. Lastly, the opinion in this essay does not necessarily reflect Millennium River’s beliefs on the subject being discussed.

Technology and Creativity

Creativity and technology: does it sound like they go hand in hand? Or perhaps, it is the opposite? Looking at this website itself, Millennium Creek, this would be the result of creativity and technology. However, how “creative” is this creative website? The answer to that question would depend on how a viewer sees it. To delve into the answer of whether or not technology is killing creativity, the definitions of these terms must be explored.

Creativity

Creativity #1; the use of the imagination or original ideas, especially in the production of an artistic work. Creativity #2; Creativity is a phenomenon whereby something new and somehow valuable is formed. Creativity #3; The state or quality of being creative.

There are several definitions depending on the source, but all of them agree with one thing: use of imagination to create something new. For technology, the definition is science or knowledge put into practical use to solve problems or invent useful tools.

True Creativity Is No Longer Present

It can be argued that technology has led to the creation of many innovative brands and companies today. However, true creativity comes from the outer world; not some inner virtual world. A walk through the misty forest. The sounds of ocean waves. A conversation with a gentleman after an ensemble performance. The experience received from boarding a ship across the sea. The cryptic a look a random woman had on her face, when walking past her. If people today had the type of technology present centuries ago, true, fine creativity would be critically endangered.

1. People spend far more time on electronics such as smartphones, televisions and gaming consoles, as opposed to drawing inspiration from real time scenarios.
2.  Plagiarism and copyright infringement is higher than ever before, thanks to technology.
3. Android and iOS, the two biggest smartphone operating systems, are no longer as unique as they used to be.

Unhealthy Amounts Of Screen Time

People of today, spend much more time in front of the screens of various electronics. Long ago, before the invention of such tools, people had to get out. They spoke face to face, spent more time exploring and trekking their surroundings, and visited numerous subjects of around them. Their inspiration was taken from outside of a virtual world.

Take a walk down a street in a modern city, and there are plenty of people to be seen walking on talking on a smartphone. People walking with their head pointed down at their screens is another big problem. The waiting room? Again, plenty of people will be seen with their head down on their screens as opposed to reading a book, or solving puzzles.

Further evidence of the problem is the rise of health issues stemming from too much time spent on high-tech devices. Eye strain, neck problems, back problems, poor circulation, and obesity are all complications that have increased from the rise of more electronics being available. This hurts both health and creativity.

Technology is addictive. It is clear that many people are not responsible and modest with their use of it. People are far more likely to take inspiration from something online, rather than a real life experience.

Technology Made Plagiarism Worse

Plagiarism is the act of taking someone else’s work and passing it off as their own. Interestingly, technology has also allowed for better tools and laws to crack down on plagiarism. Yet, despite all the rules and tools in place, it still keeps happening. Why? Because copying, pasting and other piracy tricks make it very easy to do.

Before the Internet and computers existed, people could still copy others work of course. But, there was no way to simply select texts or images that did not belong to them, and easily put them in their name. They had to rewrite or recreate what they were trying to copy, making it less encouraging for them to bother with. With the Internet and electronics in place, copying work is far less time consuming. Creators and businesses know that plagiarism is rampant, which is why they often use tools such as Copyscape, Grammarly, right click disablers, watermark their drawings, limit audio to short samples and many more. This speaks volumes about the prevalence of plagiarism and how it has become so rampant with increased technological advances.

Another similar point that should be mentioned are counterfeit brands. Brands such as Rayban, Rolex, Louis Vuitton, Nike, Gucci, Coach, Samsung and Apple are excellent examples of this. Better manufacturing tools and high-tech electronics has allowed for it to be much easier to copy others works, as opposed to being original.

While technology has brought plenty of tools to discourage plagiarism and protect others works, it has ironically also made it much easier to do.

Technology Copying Technology

Without a doubt, smartphones powered by Android and iOS occupy over 90% of the smartphone market share. When the first iPhone launched in 2007, it had a number of features that made it both look and feel like a product from Apple. Likewise, when the first Android-powered smartphone, HTC Dream, launched a year later, it had numerous features that made it drastically different from an iPhone. Fast forward to 2018, and it is clear that the two are becoming increasingly similar, and not in a good way either.

The first example would be hardware. Original Android smartphones had things like removable batteries, headphone jacks, expandable memory and capacitive navigation buttons. The iPhone had a singular home button on the bottom bezel, and Apple design language. Today, if one of the 2018 iPhones were powered off and placed among other 2018 Android smartphones with the front side up, spotting it would not be instant. And for Android smartphones, manufacturers are removing hardware features, particularly the headphone jack, at an alarming rate. Gone are the days when picking up an Android smartphone would guarantee a removable battery, headphone jack and expandable memory.

In terms of software, there are a number of Android manufactures that keep making their skins based on iOS, rather than being creative. Worse, some of the more fraudulent makers go as far as copying the physical design of an iPhone, too.

Android and iOS are excellent examples of technology that came into being from creativity. Yet, they are now increasingly drawing their inspiration from each others hardware and software, instead of trying to stand out from one another.

Technology’s Impact On Creativity

Is technology limiting creativity? It certainly is. People’s inspiration now largely comes from others online works, plagiarism is higher than it ever was, and even examples of creative technology are losing their shine. The solution? People must limit their time spent behind the screen, and draw most of their inspiration from real life.