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Home » Computers And Internet Articles » The Adverse Effects Of Technology

The Adverse Effects Of Technology

(NOTE) The following is an excerpt of my upcoming book entitled, "MORPHING INTO THE REAL WORLD - THE HANDBOOK FOR ENTERING THE WORK FORCE."

Today, our society is driven by technology and some would accuse me of being an anti-technologist. Having been actively involved with the Information Technology industry over the last 30 years, I can assure you this is simply not true. I have witnessed many different technological enhancements over the years, but what intriques me most is how it affects us socially. I firmly believe technology is purchased more as a fashion statement as opposed to any practical application. Consequently, we tend to under utilize or abuse the technology thereby costing companies millions of dollars. Instead of "Ready, Aim, Fire," people tend to, "Fire, Aim, Ready." In other words, people tend to implement the latest technology before they understand precisely what it is or what business need it serves. To me, this is putting the cart before the horse.

Perhaps the biggest difference between the 20th century and the 21st is how technology has changed the pace of our lives. We now expect to communicate with anyone on the planet in seconds, not days. We expect information at our fingertips. We expect to be up and walking shortly after a hip or knee replacement. Basically, we take a lot for granted. But this frenzied pace has also altered how we conduct business and live our lives. To illustrate, we want to solve problems immediately, and have no patience for long term solutions. Consequently, we tend to attack symptoms as opposed to addressing true problems, and apply Band-Aids to pacify the moment as opposed to tourniquets which are actually needed. We are easily satisfied with solving small problems as opposed to conquering major challenges. Personally, we tend to live for today, as opposed to planning for tomorrow. This mindset concerns me greatly.

What if someone pulled the plug on our technology? Would engineers still know how to draft products? Would we still know how to ship a product or process an order? Would our financial transactions come to a halt? Would business come to a standstill? The answer, unfortunately, is Yes. This highlights the overt dependency we have developed on our technology and is cause for alarm. We are being driven by technology as opposed to the other way around. By unplugging our technology, we are unplugging the human-being. Think I'm wrong? Watch what happens the next time the power goes out at your office or home.

Because of the domination of technology, people have allowed their socialization skills to slip. Small things, such as common courtesy, appearance, and our ability to network with others, have all deteriorated in the workplace. We may be effective in communicating electronically, but we are becoming complete failures in communicating socially. Throughout the book I mention how people act on perceptions, right or wrong. These perceptions are based in large part on our ability to communicate, such as through the messages we transmit verbally or written, our appearance, our body language, and how we treat others. If we cannot communicate effectively in this capacity, no amount of technology will be able to alter the perceptions of our coworkers, our managers, our customers, our vendors, or our friends and family.

To this end, I have introduced a new Bryce's Law:
"As the use of technology increases, social skills decreases."

And here is another random article you might be interested in...

The Fun Of Starting A New Business

So you had that fantastic business idea, the one that's going to be wildly successful and make you a fortune - even better, you actually did something about it and started your own business. Good for you! Not everyone gets that far. Most people sit and day dream about what they might do if only ....

"The world is full of dreamers, there aren't enough who will move ahead and begin to take concrete steps to actualize their vision" - W. Clement Stone

But you got over the biggest hurdle, that first step and you actually created something.

Well done - you did more than most. Now you have the day to day details of running your business so how do you keep going?

There are several things to look at here:

1. What are you good at and what do you enjoy doing? Make two lists - one of the jobs you like and one of the jobs you don't do very well. Take the second list and have a look at what you might outsource or automate. Do you love doing those accounts or would your time be better spent in forward planning while your accountant does the sums? Must you personally reply to every enquiry or could you create a FAQ which you can post on your website and refer people to by autoresponder? In the early stages of your business you might find you don't have the money to pay someone to do the jobs you hate. Could you swap skills to get the help you need?

2. Why are you doing this? You need to be motivated to start a business and keep it going. The best way to do this is to know what the effort is for. What really moves you to get up in the morning and do what you need to do even when you don't really feel like it? Write your reasons down. Find pictures of that house, or that holiday and put them where you can see them.

3. How do you deal with those bumps in the road? Not everything you do will be perfect - sometimes things you've tried will be a disaster - it's the way you react to problems that matters. If you curl up in a ball and give up at the first sign of failure you'd better not be in business. It's all about attitude.

4. Have a plan and stick to it as far as possible but be prepared to be flexible and open minded. Sometimes the most unexpected opportunities come and you need to be ready to seize them. - as Joe Vitale says 'Money likes speed'.

5. Get a mentor - learn from someone who has done it. Someone to bounce ideas off and who can encourage you when things get tough is invaluable.

And most importantly, never let anyone put you down and never be afraid of failure:

"It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who, at worst, if he fails at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat" - Theodore Roosevelt.

Don't ever forget that!