The Prevalence of the Cyborg

I would say the most obvious way the cyborg has become prevalent in our daily lives is the way technology has blurred the division between public and private. Donna Haraway explains this division by using Richard Gordon’s term “homework economy” (526). Part of the homework economy is subjecting workers “to time arrangements on and off the paid job that make a mockery of a limited work day” (526).

Traditionally, there have been public or work and private spheres that rarely crossed. People went to their jobs, did them, and came home where they generally didn’t have to worry about work until they got up the next morning to go back. Today, those lines are blurred as technology enables us to send and receive emails, text messages, and phone calls, look things up on the Internet, etc. from virtually anywhere at any time. People are often compelled to work from home resulting in little down time, but they also feel compelled to take care of personal things at work. Both sides create a need for new expectations and etiquette. Another consequence is that our dependence on our tools to get through the day gives us a heightened sense of connection to our tools (533).

Haraway mentions that paraplegics and other severely handicapped people often have the most intense experiences of hybridization with their communication devices which reminds me of a speaker we had in a college class I took called students with special needs where we learned about recognizing students who may have special needs as well as finding accommodations for students with verified special needs. One of our speakers worked with finding technology to help her patients live fairly regular lives with as much independence as possible. She showed us a Gateway tablet pc and thought we would be amazed by the technology and its ability to help those with special needs. She didn’t realize that every person in the class had their own Gateway tablet pc because Mayville State was the first tablet pc campus in the country. We all relied on our computers to do assignments, access class materials, keep in touch with friends and family, entertain ourselves, etc. The notion that only the disabled experience hybridization with communication devices has shifted to reveal that our dependence on communication and technology, which blurs the public and private spheres, has made cyborgs out of everyone as machines become the prosthetic devices of the abled and disabled and become a familiar part of our friendly selves (533).