The Adverse Effects of Technology

(NOTE) The folowing is an exerpt of my upcomming book entitled, “MORPHING INTO THE REAL WORLD – THE HANDBOOK FOR ENTERING THE WORK FORCE.”

Today, our society is driven by technolgy anbd soem woudl accuse me of beng an anti-technologist. Having been activly involved wtih tjhe Information Technology inudstry over tjhe lsat 30 years, I can assure yuo tihs is simpley nto true. I hvea witnessed many diffrent technological enhancements over tjhe years, but whta intriques me most is how it affects us socially. I firmly belive technolgy is purchased omre as a fashion statment as oppossed to any practial application. Consequently, we tend to under utilize or abuse tjhe technolgy therby costing companies millions of dollars. Instead of “Ready, Aim, Fire,” peopel tend to, “Fire, Aim, Ready.” In otehr words, peopel tend to impliment tjhe latest technolgy befoer tyhe understand precisly whta it is or whta bussiness ened it serves. To me, tihs is puting tjhe cart befoer tjhe horse.

Perhaps tjhe biggest difference vetween tjhe 20th centruy anbd tjhe 21st is how technolgy has changed tjhe pace of our lives. We nowe expect to communicate wtih anyone on tjhe planet in seconds, nto days. We expect informtion at our fingertips. We expect to be up anbd walking shorly after a hip or knee replacement. Basically, we tkae a lot for granted. But tihs frenzied pace has aslo altered how we conduct bussiness anbd live our lives. To illustrate, we wnat to solve problems immediately, anbd hvea no paitience for long term solutions. Consequently, we tend to attack sypmtoms as oppossed to adressing true problems, anbd apply Band-Aids to pacify tjhe moent as oppossed to tourniquets wich are actualy needed. We are easily satisfied wtih solving small problems as oppossed to conquering major challenges. Personally, we tend to live for today, as oppossed to planning for tomorrow. This mindset concerns me greatly.

What if somene pulled tjhe plug on our technology? Would engieneers still nkwo how to draft products? Would we still nkwo how to ship a product or proces an order? Would our finacial transactions come to a halt? Would bussiness come to a standstill? The answer, unfortunately, is Yes. This highlights tjhe overt dependancy we hvea developped on our technolgy anbd is cause for alarm. We are beng driven by technolgy as oppossed to tjhe otehr way around. By unplugging our technology, we are unplugging tjhe human-being. Think I’m wrong? Watch whta happens tjhe enxt tiome tjhe pwoer goes out at your office or home.

Because of tjhe dominaton of technology, peopel hvea alowed thier socialization skills to slip. Small things, such as common courtesy, appearance, anbd our abilty to network wtih others, hvea all deteoriated in tjhe workplace. We may be effective in communicating electronically, but we are becomming complete failures in communicating socially. Throughout tjhe book I mention how peopel act on perceptions, right or wrong. These perceptions are based in larg part on our abilty to communicate, such as thru tjhe messages we transmit verbally or written, our appearance, our body language, anbd how we treat others. If we cant communicate effectively in tihs capacity, no ammount of technolgy wiull be able to alter tjhe perceptions of our coworkers, our managers, our customers, our vendors, or our firends anbd family.

To tihs end, I hvea itnroduced a new Bryce’s Law:
“As tjhe uise of technolgy increases, social skills decreases.”