The Crisis of Technology?

There is a common trend in a number of the issues Trevor has been posting on lately regarding how society deals with crisis. In the post regarding providing free internet to the residents of New Orleans, and in the post on providing free computers to folks in developing nations, the answer to the problems seems to be to throw technology at the issues and then hope people will use this technology to solve their problems. What was interesting in the various stories that covered these issues was what was lacking in the stories, namely that no one asked what it was that people were supposed to do with the laptops or free internet service. With out those questions, there was no answer that explained how the use of those technologies would really make peoples life’s better. What seemed to be assumed was that technology was naturally good and therefore would make life better.

Having lived through the evolution of the use of computers and the internet, what I am most struck by is how computers have gone from being a simple tool that helps to speed up calculations and store and analyze data, to miraculous devices that somehow magically transform our lives. The reality is that computers really have not changed our lifes, except that we probably spend more time using them to do things we used to do on paper. They have increased the speed in which we do calculations and provided us with the ability to look at more data, but does increased processing speed and data availability really equate to becoming better human beings?

What also is highlighted by these examples is that more frequently our government leaders have fallen into the trap of believing that more and better technologies do indeed equate to better well being. It seems that more often then not that thorough evaluations are not done on what is the best use of resources to help people grow. My hope is that the people proposing these solutions do indeed want to help those they are trying to serve and if so that they take more time to simply listen those people. It is through that listening that true understanding can come of what it is they need to help them better their own lives.

There is also a need for leaders to spend some time to understand what needs really are. Too often it seems that providing ways to satisfy needs, replaces the ultimate goal of helping to empower people to find ways to satisfy their own needs. I came across a chapter from a book titled Real-Life Economics that had a chapter written by the Chiliean economist Manfred Max-Neef that helps to better define what governments role should be in developing better ways to help empower people, and what the needs really are. Times of crisis might be times to step back and do some reflecting before we rush forward with technological solutions (and coming from an engineer, that is a scary thought).

Those are my thoughts for what they are worth.

Tom