Last year, around this time, I started what became an interesting dialog
on technology and the future. I've spent the last year thinking about this
topic, and found myself experiencing all types of emotions. It has been
difficult for me to get in touch with these feelings, because of paradoxes
in my personal tastes.
On the one hand I'm mesmerized by technology. I eat it up. Put me in front
of any new electronic gadget and you've kept me occupied until I've
figured it out . . . and please, no manual! That would take the adventure
and excitement out of the experience.
My wife will tell you that I can literally spend hours in front of the
computer, oblivious to anything going on around me. The first thing I do
in the morning, when I wake up, is turn on the computer (assuming I turned
it off before I went to bed), and the last thing I do before going to bed
is play around on the computer. I've been learning to write in Java, which
has kept me incredibly entertained!
I'm intrigued by the Internet, and how it is creating a type of "virtual
community" that allows me to meet people, exchange ideas, learn, and
actually get to know people pretty well. I only wish I could reach out and
touch the people I know. . .a handshake, a smile, a hug, a kiss, a sexual
experience!
On the other hand, there are aspects to my fascination with technology
that I absolutely deplore. I hate how easily I allow it to consume my
time. I hate how I allow it to interfere with my more intimate and
meaningful relationships. My wife often get's my attention by sending me
an E-mail, or a page on my pager (which she can do through E-mail).
I love technology and I hate technology. It creates an inner-conflict that
is driving me mad, or at least creating substantial discomfort in my
personal life. Sometimes I lay in bed at night and ask myself: Why do I
work in the computer industry? Why not as a lawyer, a therapist, or an
accountant? Why have I chosen a profession that consumes my time, my mind,
and takes me away from the type of intimacy that I love most: Physical
contact with another human being whom I deeply love?
The Internet is saturated with sexual content. A cheap imitation of
sexuality that diminishes the intimacy of our world, and isolates us, as
individuals, from the most prized experience: the emotional caring that is
best expressed through making love with another person. It is al if
thorugh our own technology, we're separating ourselves from others and
from our own body. When I think of it this way I get a sour feeling in my
stomach; a longing in my heart for more personal contact with people, more
person al experience. It's not enough to see the world through the
Internet; the experience, real, tangible, lived through is much more
valuable.
And then I think of organizations. The last year I've spent a lot of time
thinking about the unintended consequences of technology. That's something
we don't hear much about. Sure we talk about how technology allows us to
learn more faster, share more with others, and improve productivity at
work. But we don't read about it's unintended consequences. How it quietly
changes, in quite a radical way, traditional power structures; how it
takes us away from personal experience and places us in a virtual world
where the source of stimulation is self-stimulation (not merely in a
sexual sense, but also in a emotional and intellectual sense. . .like
taking a tour of a garden far away, and enjoying it by yourself. . .it's
not a shared experience. . .it's not a moment to be remembered and
cherished because of the interaction you enjoyed with others through the
experience).
Technology vendors, of course, aren't going to put a sticker on their
product that says, "Warning: This product may create unintended
consequences that change power structures, allow self-organization to
emerge, and isolate individuals from meaningful social contact." Although
sometimes I think such a warning sticker would be nice. . .Netscape,
Microsoft Explorer lead the list for me!
And so I find myself, going into a new year, with many of the same fears
and the same hopes as last year. My desires are essentially the same: An
insatiable curiosity for technology, and deep desire for intimacy in my
life. The two will struggle against each other this year, and next year,
and the year after. And I will continue to work in organizations (or work
with organizations) who are baffled by the unintended consequences they
allowed to emerge because of the technology they brough into their
organizations.
-- Benjamin Compton DWS Computer Consultants "The GroupWise Integration Experts" E-Mail: bcompton@emailsolutions.com http://www.emailsolutions.comLearning-org -- Hosted by Rick Karash <rkarash@karash.com> Public Dialog on Learning Organizations -- <http://www.learning-org.com>