Cyborgs we Are

Funny thing - whole bunch of students, laptops, mobiles, mp3’s in tow, paying little attention to anything beyond their own physical space unless instructed to do so, arguing that they are not cyborgs?

Cyborg - noun

• a fictional or hypothetical person whose physical abilities are extended beyond normal human limitations by mechanical elements built into the body (http://oxforddictionaries.com/view/entry/m_en_gb0200240#m_en_gb0200240 )

Why do some students say that a cyborg is somebody with a pacemaker, or prosthetic limb? One problem seems to be that these types of arguments are based on thinking about individuals rather than the standard abilities of human beings as a whole. Prosthetic limbs and pacemakers may give an individual with a physical disability the ability to continue to perform alongside other humans, but it in no way enhances their physical abilities beyond that of normal human limitations. Therefore that individual cannot be described as a cyborg.

The mobile phone on the other hand does enhance the physical ability of human beings by extending their ability to hear in real time beyond normal human limitations. This has had a major impact on human relationships, both socially and professionally with those privileged enough to have access to this technology having a distinct advantage over other humans in modern life. Additions to the basic mobile phone can add further productivity to the functioning of the human body. One example is the Bluetooth headset which can increase the productivity of the human body by allowing the arms and hands to remain free to respond to what is heard enabling additional tasks to be carried out simultaneously.

Increasing the physical productivity of the human body has thus led to increased expectations and control of the human body in terms of what can be achieved, the result of which is an element of control exerted on us that extends beyond the face to face instruction of the past, the effects of which are summed up in the following nifty video,

Humans who adhere to this technology and the associated controls and expectations are, thus, indeed cyborgs.