The Technological Revolution by Maury Klein - Article Example

?Revolution of Technology Introduction From the beginning of time to our present reality technology has been a part of every dimension of our lives. Researchers suggest that the mere act of placing a bucket down a well to fill water was the use of technology (Klein). Technology therefore is the combination of tools and techniques to achieve a particular outcome. Technology, according to Maury Klein, is value neutral in itself but the effect of the revolution of technology may be beneficial as well as detrimental to our very lives. In this paper, the author attempts to peruse the causes and effects of the revolution in technology. In addition, the author concurs that the advantages of the revolution in technology far exceeds the few disadvantages which are purported. The National Research Council notes: our society has been through other periods of dramatic change before, driven by such innovations as the steam engine, railroad, telephone, and automobile. But never before have we experienced technologies that are evolving so rapidly (increasing in power by a hundredfold every decade), altering the constraints of space and time, and reshaping the way we communicate, learn, and think. (p. 5) This dynamic altering has changed life as we know it forever and although the revolution in technology has been the major factor in the improvement of life throughout the ages there remains several negative consequences. Nonetheless, these negative features as analyzed in the literature pales in comparison to the plethora of positive effects spawned from the revolution. Notwithstanding, this technology has brought with it an unquenchable thirst for more knowledge and a seemingly disconnection in human physical relationships there is a certain level of satisfaction obtained from the actual utilization of these technologies. This paper purports that the positive effects of the revolution of technology far outweighs the negative. The National Research Council alludes to “other periods of dramatic change” (5). If there were “other periods” what makes this era different from the others? The answer lies in the genesis of this present revolution (National Research Council 5). II. Researchers believe that this revolution had its origin in the industrial revolution The industrial revolution began in the eighteenth century with the early mechanization of England. Maury Klein emphasized that this industrialization paved the way for “large cities, the mass migration of people out of rural areas and into cities, as well as changes in the pace of American life”. Atkeson and Kehoe note that the tremendous amount of “new manufacturing technologies based on electricity” which were invented in the 1860s to 1900s caused that period to be dubbed the Second Industrial Revolution (64). This period was synonymous with a ‘new economy’ personified by rapid increase in the manufacturing industry. The first industrial revolution therefore ended in the nineteenth century with the introduction of electricity which led to a rapid advancement in transportation, medicine and other innovations. This dynamic atmosphere prepared the way for our present revolution, which is also known as the Information Revolution. Cortada suggests two main reasons for the present revolution, namely, “infusion of federal funds” in the quest for technological innovations and the “existence of a potentially large commercial market” for this new technology (17). The commercial market spanned the entire globe. Thus, an individual could correspond with another individual half way across the world in real time. Further, a good could be manufactured in China, be advertised on the World Wide Web and be sold to someone in Australia within a single day. This present revolution in technology holds an abundance of benefits which were never realized in the previous revolutions. III. T he information revolution has had a positive effect on the lives of individuals across the globe or has it? Interestingly, each revolution added to the benefits of the previous. For example, one’s ability to store music has evolved from the phonograph cylinder to the gramophone record to CDs to the present iPods and cell phones (Klein). Therefore one can conclude that the expansion of information implied an increase in knowledge. The National Research Council posits that “information technology is fundamentally changing the relationship between people and knowledge” (5). The rapid increase in the ability to obtain knowledge about any subject under the sun is indeed a tremendous benefit of the technology revolution. This knowledge is available to anyone who has access to the technology and thus, our entire universe has become as accessible as a tiny village. Nonetheless, it takes a village to raise a child. We have become a global village. Interestingly, the village alluded to in raising the child was one which had particular geographical and physical boundaries This global village in which we are all partakers is one without any physical boundaries. The extent and reach of this village is limitless. Hence, our entire world and universe is now a teacher. The National Research Council notes the capacity of information technology to create “new forms of human interaction” (5). Where formerly, one would have to run for miles to get a message to the king in today’s information age individuals remain in the confines of their homes and relay an important message. Not only would the king be sure to receive the message accurately but more importantly the message would be received at the time in which it was needed. Cloud computing, cell phones, digital cameras and the like have taken over the manner in which humans interact amongst themselves. The Internet is referred to as the cloud but according to Knorr and Gruman, cloud computing refers to “virtual servers available over the internet”. This virtual server connotes mimicking of the behaviors of a “stand alone computer” but the users may be at several different locations (Knorr and Gruman). Further, Knorr and Gruman presents that cloud computing comes into focus only when referring to “what IT always needs”, which is a means of increasing capacity without the addition of new infrastructure, personnel or software. Cloud computing is considered to be an emerging phenomenon which adds great value to the users of the Internet. Ballmer notes that cloud computing “connects people” to an enormous amount of “storage and computing power in massive datacenters”. Amazon.com presently utilizes the storage feature of cloud computing and Google Maps as well as the traditional means of processing credit cards transactions are two other examples of the use of cloud computing (Knorr and Gruman). Maury Klein in his article, “The Technology Revolution”, posits that when he would ask his students about the “one thing they can least do without” their answer used to be the computer. This answer has since been replaced by the cell phone. The cell phone, the iPod, digital readers and digital cameras have all become entrenched in our daily lives. The cell phone in particular, is used to speak to one’s friends, family, business associates, to check one’s email, to surf the Internet and the like. It is absolutely impossible to imagine life without the use of these gadgets that came into our lives as a result of this massive technological explosion. Interestingly, Klein noted that the answer to his question to his question to his students would be “electricity”. It is only with electricity that all of these gadgets can operate. What is more interesting as noted by Klein is that electricity would not exist without the steam engine because electricity cannot power itself. It needs an external source to generate the power. IV. Is there a negative dimension to this revolution? One can clearly see from this discourse that the technologies used from the first revolution are still needed in this present one. Electricity created in the second revolution needs the steam engine which was created in the first. The cell phones, laptops, digital devices although wireless still needs the electricity to function. Thus, the collapse of electricity would imply the lack of functionality of our present gadgets. Not only has the technologies affected our way of operating in terms of gadgets and devices but also our way of operating on a social basis. Researchers have begun to observe a change in social relationships. Social networking sites are considered to be one major cause for this change. There is therefore concern that there is less face to face communication among individuals in our society. Individuals can Skype, email, use their iPhone or their notebook to communicate to their next door neighbor. Social skills and social etiquette in our children have almost been replaced by Internet/email etiquette. Further, it is difficult to ascertain what the true nature of a potential employee is since this too can be done via the Internet. The National Research Council notes that “Technology can create an open learning environment in which the student, no longer compelled to travel to a particular location in order to participate in a pedagogical process”(7). Consequently, the individual adopts a sedentary life style. There is no need to get up to turn off the television or the radio. This can be done via a remote control. What is amazing is that there is also no need to change location/position to communicate with one’s employer. One can remain at home and upload documents to one’s place of work. Not only is the life style an inactive one but there is a number of adverse effects to the use of cell phones and the Internet. The jury is still out over the level of radiation from certain cell phones. This radiation can be harmful to adults but more so to children who are under seven years of age. Another invention of our time which holds great danger for its young users is the Internet. Although one has the sense of being anonymous in the Internet arena there is really no privacy. A hacker can easily hack into a computer’s data base and obtain all the sensitive information of individuals. Likewise, the government can allow one’s personal information to be investigated for income tax purposes and the like. Cockern notes that because this revolution has given individuals new possibilities and a plethora of choices, a vast number of businesses have been forced to close down. He highlights businesses such as newspapers, movie theatres and the traditional music industry. Is the information revolution spinning out of control? Cortada in his investigation of how Information Technology spread around the world noted that IT spread across the private sector in The United States of America faster than the government could control it. In fact, the government realized that the spread in the private sector was so rapid that the latest in the technology was appearing in the private sector at a faster rate than the government could acquire them. As such the government was constantly playing catch up to the private sector in the area of IT. This need to ‘catch up’ has become a constant in this age of Information explosion as such one is left to wonder about the extent to which the technology has taken over our lives. There are endless new possibilities and a plethora of choices for individuals but has the revolution created an overall improvement in the daily operations of our lives. Conclusion Aydan Cockern highlights certain negatives of the revolution such as the termination of businesses in the newspapers, movies and music industry because of the replacement of these goods by new technologies. However, these negatives in no way surpass the tremendous benefits of the information technology revolution. Information Technology is everywhere. There is no place that we can hide from it. Thus, it is necessary to become familiar with the technologies not only through learning about them but by utilizing these technologies effectively. Information Technology in spite of its flaws holds nothing but a bright and prosperous future for this generation and those to come. In education, there is benefit. The National Research Council purports that Universities “are shifting from physical campuses to virtual ones, globally distributed in cyberspace…and technological innovations are stimulating the growth of powerful markets” (7). This shift is creating a new and improved tertiary level education. For the governments across the world there is increasing benefits. Cortada asserts that the “harmonization of activities” in this revolution has resulted in the transnational collaboration of government regulators in order to set specific standards for financial transactions, drugs, food and the environment (18). Felipe Fernandez-Armesto has noted that Information Technology has contributed to an “increasing interconnectedness” and “interdependence” amongst global cultures the likes of which we have never seen before (qtd. in Cortada 22). We continue with excitement to behold this present revolution with all its ups and downs the positives still outweigh the negatives. References Atkeson, Andrew and Kehoe, Patrick. “Modeling the Transition to a new economy: Lessons from two technological revolutions.” The American Economic Review. 97.1 (2007): 64-88.Web. 30 June 2011. Corkern, Aydan. “The Negative Effects of Advancing Technology on Society.” 12 May 2009. Article Online Directory. Web. 01 July 2011. Cortada, James. “Patterns and practices in how Information Technology spread around the World.” 2008. IEEE Annals of the History of Computing. Web. 01 July 2011. Klein, Maury. “The Technological Revolution.” The Newsletter of Foreign Policy Research Institute. 13.18 July 2008. Web. 01 July 2011. Knorr, Eric & Gruman, Galen. What cloud computing really means. InfoWorld. Web. 01 July 2011. National Research Council. Preparing for the Revolution: Information Technology and the Future of the Research University. Washington, D.C: THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS, 2002. Print Read More