First Assignment

Throughout history there has been many developments in technology that have passed though many stages of development. The stages go from the product or activity being hard to come by, to being easily available, then having different, more specialized versions of the product. In Stan LeRoy Wilson’s book “Culture and Communications: Basic Concept,” this is classified as the EPS Cycle. The first stage is the elitist stage, which is when something is done by the wealthy because when something is done by the wealthy because only they can afford it. The next stage is the popular stage, which is when the product or activity becomes available to everybody. The final stage is the specilization stage, which is when the product or activity is broken down into different versions and are available to everybody.
One piece of technology that has gone through the EPS Cycle is video games. When they originally came out they were not that popular due to the cost and size of them. They were also not very detailed or entertaining. Once they became smaller and more affordable, they entered the popular stage. In today’s culture video games are easily available to everyone, they have many different types, and have a price range that everyone can afford.
Since video games are a technology that is usually played alone, they don’t usually interact with many people. As the technology for them advances, so does their ability for people to interact with other people. They make games now that allow people to connect and compete with other people. This relates to Scolves statement saying “seek technologies that can enable disadvantaged individuals and groups to participate fully in social and political life.” (1).