Cybersecurity and the Social Sciences (CYSE 201S)
Review Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and explain how each level relates to your experiences with technology. Give specific examples of how your digital experiences relate to each level of need.
Regarding physiological and safety needs, or basic needs, I have used technology to help me remember to drink water and to help me wind down to get rest. This inclusion of technology in many aspects forced it to be the main means of safety and security as well. Safety technology like rear-view backup cameras are now mandated by law in all new vehicles in the US which has helped me parallel park on numerous occasions. The inclusion of technology into security spawned the cybersecurity sector, to which I was employed as support personnel. When branching into psychological needs, such as “belongingness and esteem”, I have found technology to be implemented in a way that brings me and my friends closer through video games and social media, when we otherwise may have drifted apart due to moving around to different geographic locations. The gamification of many processes, such as virtual training in my work, changed the process to boost my self-esteem by bringing a feeling of accomplishment to this very mundane task. Bringing all of this together leads to the top of the pyramid, the self-fulfillment needs and self-actualization. Reaching my full potential is something I hope to do one day, and I cannot imaging that happening without technology. Technology has allowed my friend and I to experience things that we wouldn’t have before, such as playing DnD for the first time with ChatGPT being the Dungeon Master. We’ve never had the opportunity to be a part of a community where we can do this so technology has brought new experiences to our lives. The more we are able to do things we want but that we wouldn’t have otherwise been able to do is what allows us to reach out full potential and be our truest self.