Weatherford describes how technological advances in mathematics (Arabic numerals, arithmetic) contributed to the spread of empire and the seeking of gold in a new frontier in the Americas. Today, we have technological advances in mathematics (including cryptography and its application to Bitcoin and other online currencies) influencing the ways people use money. What do you imagine the new frontier will be for seeking profit, and how do you imagine some form of empire (national, financial, cultural, or otherwise) might extend into that frontier? Your blog post can be analytical or creative: write a short story, if you like.
I believe that with advances in computing, analytics, statistical analysis, and new mediums for technology, they are going to be the basis for new frontier for seeking profit. With marketing, advertising and other traditional media-based profit centers entering the world of the internet–where information is exchanged effortlessly and at a click of the button–the internet and internet-based technology are becoming larger and more involved in people’s lives more and more every day. Because profit is based off the economy is oiled by research and analysis which is turned into conscious marketing efforts, consumers are attracted and exchange money for product. With technology growing at an exponential rate, one could assume that because computing power is reaching that of the human, technology will become even more immersed in our lives. This immersion, as of now, seems to be via social networking platforms. Social networking like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, various blogging platforms, and other social networking services provide us a chance to communicate with anybody at anytime through different forms of media. This results in a new technological medium which consumes peoples’ concentration, time, and attention just as the implementation of the radio and television have done in the past. The radio and television were communicative outlets, yet didn’t include qualities associated with other forms of technology like the telephone or letter mail–the chance to communicate slowly, yes, but to carrying on a relationship or personal connection without seeing each other face-to-face. All of these older forms of media/communication involve sounds, symbols, images, video, and a small combination of them. The internet, however, is an instant platform for all of these types of communicative outlets at the same time. It even goes so far as television, radio, and mail have become geared for the internet. For example, you can stream television shows, radio stations, and mail (electronically with Email). Just as these forms of communication have included advertisements and various marketing techniques in the past with coupons, radio advertisements, and television/film ads, the internet is becoming thew new opportunity to expand marketing and advertising efforts. The opportunity, coupled with increased analytical techniques for businesses, provides for more in-depth understanding of where where, how, and how often your content reaches your target or even non-target audience. For example, Facebook provides a service that allows a business owner to not only post content to their “followers” but to also analyze who sees the content, how many people see it, where they are located in the world, and how people are engaging with your content. This type of analytical information allows the business marketer to tink, tailor, and try out new types of content to engage and connect with an audience which hopefully ends up resulting in increased profits. As the internet is becoming more involved and included in peoples’ lives, technology is increasing along with the internet. For example, Google Glass is basically a wearable iPhone providing the chance to communicate with voice and connect with different types of media that the internet provides which was based off of earlier mediums like mail, radio, and television. This is all done without the touch of a button and with voice command, providing a new platform for computing, marketing, and social media. With the increase of computing, you can imagine your device will be able to understand you more and more and will actually be able to recogize your tendencies and provide help and content accordingly. With this, marketers and advertisers will have the same computing power which becomes coupled with increased analytical power. This may result in more personal, hard to-recognize marketing attempts using the capabilities of the advice and the internet. How nice it would be to be a business who, coupled with an imaginable application that allows various information to pop up through your google glass, can have your business pop up on the screen as one is passing it. This may stimulate the wearer’s sense in some form or another and result in the consumer entering your business and proving you with profit which spreads to employees, new-technology marketing firms, and the analytical servies that they use.
My final point is that companies that are involved in newer, internet-based technologies are going to be able to seek profit because of this. The internet is a special blend older types of media. For example, you could communicate via print with mailing and could talk so somebody but it wasn’t instant nor could you see the person unless they included pictures in the envelope. Radio provided the ability to hear people yet not communicate with them unless you call them, yet you still cannot see them. Television provided the ability for a one-way conversation and you could hear and see them but they can’t see you. The internet, however provides the opportunity to include all of these types of media/communication on the same electronic page.
Who REALLY knows though?
Jacob Oster 