Show me the Proof!

On more than one occasion you have heard me express my skepticism on the beneficial effects of technology on our culture.  Proponents obviously claim it has a positive effect, and proudly point at the capacity, speed, and sizzle embedded in such things as computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices, but I'm still not convinced.  For example:

*  We can communicate with anyone on the planet at any time from just about anywhere (and too often we do), yet we haven't got anything useful to say or say it at the wrong time and place.  Further, our command of the English language is slipping, newspapers and magazines are failing, and book publishing is sharply diminishing, thereby indicating a decline in reading.

*  We can now write beautiful documents, but our grammar and spelling seems to be degenerating.  People may know how to send text messages, but have difficulty composing an effective business letter.

*  Our automobiles now offer abundant luxuries through electronics, but the cost to repair and maintain them has skyrocketed.

*  We can now purchase items and make travel reservations on-line, thereby displacing this function from trained travel agents and sales clerks with better skills and knowledge to process such things.  Inevitably the customer purchases the wrong thing or makes an error in processing the order, which is difficult to correct (and very frustrating).

*  Technology may give us in edge in warfare; but you first have to have a well trained and determined soldier to pull the trigger.

*  Computers were supposed to be a boom for office productivity but consider how much time is lost tweaking and rebooting MS Windows alone.  Further, computers were supposed to cut down on paper; but sales at the paper mills appears to be doing just fine, as well as robust sales of copiers, printers and cartridges.

If our technology is so good, it would make sense that we would see a noticeable leap in productivity in our country.  However, if you study the statistics at the US Department of Labor, output has actually been declining over the last ten years in just about every industrial sector.  Those sectors showing an upswing can hardly be described as "dramatic."

If there is a statistic to show how technology improves productivity. the US Department of Labor certainly doesn't have it, nor does anyone else for that matter, which is why I continue to say, "Show me the proof!"  Frankly, you cannot because there is more to productivity than technology.  To me, technology simply represents the tools we use at work and home, and like any tool we can either use it properly or improperly (like shooting ourselves in the foot).  Even the finest tool in the wrong hands will produce inferior results.  This implies there is more to productivity than the technology itself, that it depends on how the human being uses it.  In other words, management is an integral part of the equation, and something that has been sorely lacking in recent times, as indicated by our current recession.

Consider this, number crunching has always been one of the prime benefits of computing.  If this is true, then why does it take so long to compile a financial report or budget?  After all, everything should be available at the push of a button, right?  Unfortunately, corporations and government agencies, operate with poorly designed systems and data bases, thereby the reliability of data is doubtful, thus requiring rechecking.

Productivity should not be measured simply by how fast we perform a given task (efficiency), but the necessity of the task itself should also be examined (effectiveness). After all, there is nothing more unproductive than to build something efficiently that should never have been built at all.

Let me exemplify this another way; the general perception in this country is that America no longer knows how to build automobiles, that the quality is not good. I disagree.  Americans know how to build good reliable products as demonstrated by the Americans working in Japanese automotive factories.  The difference is in building the right products.  Whereas American companies focused on luxury and gas-guzzling cars, the Japanese were busy building economical and fuel-efficient automobiles (as were other countries).  Here, it is not a matter of how well we build a product, but is it the right product to build in the first place?

More than anything, technology is a reflection of our standard of living. We have always had technology, we will always have it, and it will constantly change and evolve with us.  However, over the last thirty years we have witnessed an explosion in technology that has permeated our society and changed our culture.  It was triggered by such things as the Cold War and other military interventions, space exploration, medical research, and global competition in business.  Technology came at us so fast and furious that a lot of people had trouble assimilating it, thereby causing a noticeable frustration factor.  In all likelihood we probably use only a small fraction of our technology properly (which would be another interesting statistic).  For example, how intimate are you with all of the features of your cell phone, computer, TV, digital camera, or even your sprinkler system?  Are you using them to their full potential?  Probably not.

It has always been my argument that as technology increases, socialization skills decreases.  The more we depend on technology to fulfill basic functions like mathematics, communications, spelling, etc., the lazier the human brain becomes. Technology may be fun to use and play with, and can indeed provide tremendous mechanical leverage for humans, but be wary of how it is used and avoid dependencies. Regardless of your pride and prowess with technology, please don't tell me it improves productivity.  The jury is still out.