The 19th Century, Participation, and Me

My name is Stephen Lottermoser. I'm a Computer Science major at BYU, a Software Engineer at Instructure, a husband, and a digital citizen. I write iPhone/iPad apps for work, and I love it. When I graduate, my wife and I will be moving to the Silicon Valley so I can work for Apple. I love technology and the many ways it can enhance our lives, and I want to make software that is used by tens of thousands every day. For my Digital Civilization class at BYU, I'm in the 19th century group and will also be working on the digital concept of participation.

It's a struggle at first to think of how the 19th century relates to our digital civilization. To me, digital refers to the 1's and 0's that make up everything computerized. The way information is digitally stored, the logic that drives the programs we use or the web sites we browse, the communications between all of our digital devices: all are at the lowest level a series of 1's and 0's, or rather high or low voltage. This transformation from the non-digital really only took place during the latter half of the 20th century, and more so during the last twenty years. But so much took place to lead up to the transformations that have turned our society digital, and the 19th century saw a lot of those critical changes.

The 19th century makes up the years from 1800-1899. This is the century where steam engines were used to power trains, redefining transportation and turning trips of months or weeks to days or hours. The typewriter was invented, and the QWERTY layout of keys is still used to today on computer keyboards across the world. It was the invention that brought the ability to create typed documents to the masses, and and today people communicate almost exclusively via typed communication over handwritten communication. The telegraph was invented in the 19th century, and was the first real near instantaneous communication over really long distances. Today we get frustrated with a little bit of delay in our video chat with friends or family overseas. Morse code was in a sense an initial binary code, translating long and short taps on the telegraph line into letters. Binary code, the language of computers, is used to do the same thing, translating low and high voltages into the letters and graphics we see on screen. The list of amazing inventions from the 19th centuries is huge.

In fact, the explosion of technological advances in the 19th century is remarkable compared to previous centuries. For centuries the technologies for transportation, communications, and most other areas of life didn't change dramatically. All of sudden things were getting invented almost faster than society could adopt them. It is my belief that this sudden explosion of knowledge is deeply tied to event that infused humanity with the mot important knowledge: the Restoration of the Gospel of Christ.

So the 19th century paved the way for us to become a digital civilization by the end of the 20th century, and many of us are still learning our place in this new society. Knowledge and opportunity is freely given to everyone who can access the Internet. This is the idea of digital consumption. But more important is the idea of digital participation. More than ever, anyone can make their voice heard. It is no longer only the newspapers who can spread their opinions. Revolutions in the Middle East have been happening because the government can no longer control what people say; Facebook, Twitter, and smartphones have been utilized by the people to unite and topple the regimes in their country. Less violent but equally revolutionary participation happens every day as people post new ideas, products, and services, or participate in conversations on the Internet. Here Comes Everybody is a great commentary on the power and availability of digital participation to the masses. People across the world have always had something to say, but now they can finally say it and people will listen. All we need to do is let our voice be heard.