In this reading, the current positive and negative impacts, as well as anticipated impacts of information technology are analyzed. Obviously, with the development of technology comes greater access to information regarding all kinds of things; religion, education, jobs, and more. In addition, improved technology allows people to do things that would otherwise be out of reach for most people. However, this all comes at the expense of a few downsides listed to the advancement of technology; job loss, reduced personal interaction, and reduced physical activity.
It is interesting to see that the author of this article chose to list job opportunities as a positive to rising technology but also said job loss was a downfall of technology. I found it a little hypocritical, but I understand the point they were making. In addition, I found this article interesting because usually the readings seem to focus on the harsh outcomes of technology, yet this one said that the “convenience will outweigh any negative impacts”. This is a rather positive outlook on technology and I am not sure I agree with it but enjoyed seeing a more optimistic point of view.
Although I did not read this article, I agree with your statement that it is refreshing to see some of the positive outlooks on technology. Yes, technology does change the way we interact and sometimes distracts us, but I think we sometimes forget that the original purpose of many technologies was to ease communication, make everyday actions more convenient and to entertain us. With this being said, is it fair to the developers to talk about such negative effects, when in reality the technology does do what it was originally intended for?
The loss and creation of jobs due to technology I think is an interesting one, especially since I have read articles claiming that new technology is good and bad for job. I think one thing to take into consideration for this is the learning curve for each job. If the loss of a manufacturing job, for example putting Saran Wrap on blueberries, were to make an additional 10 jobs for taking care of a new machine replacement, then do those 10 jobs have the same value as the one lost job since the newly unemployed person does not have the skill to do the newer job and is now unemployed?
Talia your mention of technology creating job opportunities while also leading to the downfall in technology was really intriguing. As much value as I attribute to technology, I really can’t tell if I have a positive or negative outlook on technology as a whole. I think technology opens us up to so many opportunities, however, it also causes many limitations and creates disparities in society.