Technology in a Human Context
I was intrigued by a recent article so I sent this email:
Hi Cathy,
I just read the write-up on your efforts here:
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/157/cathy-davidson-duke-university-hastac
…and you are so right!
I’ve worked in IT for about 15 years and currently own an IT company. During my career I’ve recommended AGAINST the use of new technology in situation specific scenarios and the executives weren’t happy with that recommendation. Actually they went against it and I was eventually proved right (multiple times). I’ve noticed this love affair (or worship of?) with technology but I don’t think it’s with the technology itself but rather PLEASING someone who thinks technology is the answer. FOR EXAMPLE, schools. Every child MUST have a laptop and we must move everything digital and so on. Why does this push exist? Because the parents think the schools administrative staff is doing their job – after all THE OTHER schools have technology so we should too. In another case I worked for a nonprofit foundation in the 90’s. The umbrella organization had several nonprofits it was responsible for including a resale shop. The resale shop was staff by volunteers aged 70’s and up. A quick survey showed that these volunteers were very AGAINST changing their ways and although the shop was DEPENDANT on them the administration decided, against my advice, to install a POS system with barcodes and all. Money and time were spent and it was implemented but not for long as the blowback was powerful and in the end the volunteers won.
People miss the fact that technology is a tool, like a hammer is to a carpenter. It should help us ACCOMPLISH a task; technology isn’t the doer nor the task itself. We are the doers and the technology enhances our skills to finish said task. Simply put technology’s ability within human society is misunderstood. For example in the school setting it should not replace the development of the fundamentals, after fundamentals are learned then technology aids in the task’s completion. The mistake is thinking that operating a computer is the fundamental skill (because older generations were wowed by the new fangled device, therefore let’s honor whoever can operate the device) but it’s not and this is a HUGE mistake.
You are right. Our schools, jobs and so on are still operating from the principles of the industrial age. The information age is in it infancy and it’s time to move society towards it. When technology is there but barely noticed is a sign we are on the right path. I think in Star Wars (ok cheesy example but here it goes) when Luke Skywalker lived on the farm with his aunt and uncle advanced technology was everywhere but it had its place – as a tool. It wasn’t worshipped nor did they think they couldn’t live without it but they lived their lives separately. I’m not sure how to word this correctly but; life was life, learning was learning, family was family and technology was a tool to use for their benefit.
The Internet is a powerful yet it potential has not been realized yet. At some point schools like we have today could become unnecessary and so could our large office buildings which house 1000’s of employees. Everything will change – become more decentralized as decentralization is the Internet’s primary power. Decentralization of such magnitude brings change in all areas of human production; economic, education, art, politics, transparency (wikileaks), thought, and more that are not fully comprehended at this time. One thing that is understood is this; that in many areas we (at large) are misapplying technology instead of seeing it for what it is – a tool of the new age.