In Technology, Culture And The World Cup, Julian Vigo shows that how we see ourselves as a culture is a reflection of the technology which we use to represent ourselves. However, Vigo goes on to argue not only that imperfection is part of that cultural identity, but that our cultural identity is in danger of being destroyed due to our movement towards a systemic and obsessive society of flawlessness.

Vigo argues these points by describing the ways in which technology used in televised soccer games have changed over time. An example used by Vigo is the 1986 World Cup quarter- final match between England and Argentina. During this match, Diego Maradona scored a seemingly controversial goal– known as the “Hand of God.” This goal is deemed as contentious because video footage later revealed that Maradona had scored this goal with his hand. However, it counted due to the referee’s sight– which had failed to see the handball and instead saw a goal scored with Maradona’s head. As Virgo goes on to explain, Maradona knew how culture could replace technology to create a new truth. “Social theatre becomes the litmus test for reality,” Virgo said. Maradona told his teammates to hug him to create the idea that the goal was legitimate, and thus planted the illegitimate goal as the widely accepted truth. Vigo shows that this goal was a reflection of Argentina’s recent exit from a vicious military dictatorship which resulted in the disappearance of about 30,000 people. The “Hand of God” represented a response to the British invasions of its country and an end to terror and disappearances.
Since then, Vigo argues that new technology like VAR (video assistant referee) is contributing to a culture in which there is hyper-vigilence, with no room or time for human error. The sport is now about rules more than it’s about the sentiment that occurs when opposing forces come together, leaving no space for imperfection.

Based on Vigo’s comparison of the ways in which soccer games have been and presently are evaluated, I see her argument as valid. Her examples allowed me to fully understand and believe how technology can shape us as a society. From my perspective, I’ve always believed that the evolution of technology, more specifically related to today– social media, has created this idea that humans are supposed to be perfect. There’s an artificiality to how we see the world that wasn’t present before technology improved and became more accessible. I agree with Vigo that this is for the worst and not for the better. I primarily grew up before technology was as prominent and have seen the clear transition from the acceptance of imperfections to unrealistic ideals related to how technology has shaped us. While I’ve always believed it to be true that technology today is a reflection of our culture, Vigo proves not only this to me, but its extremity as well with clear evidence analyzed throughout her writing.