Since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution life in industrial and post industrial societies have been characterized by a constant stream of evolving products, innovative methods of production and dynamic means of distribution. The development of the world wide web, for example, is a major breakthrough in the advancement of communication. Today, a few years after its introduction, the Web has become a major cultural movement involving millions of people. One eminent computer scientist, Michael Dertouzos, head of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Laboratory for Computer Science, has authored a captivating book about the future of computer science. Mr. Dertouzos thoughtfully explain his vision of the future "Information Marketplace". In What Will Be, the author gives the reader an insiders preview of the advancements and inventions that will propel the information revolution in new directions.
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The world of information that we now live in has already altered many aspects of our lives, either directly or indirectly. For example, the millions of web users, from homeowners to Chief Executive Officers, have grown in numbers at an astronomical rate, adding daily to the cumulative web of information by posting their own "home pages" that describe their own specific interests and needs (10). The computer mouse clicks of all these subscribers is opening new avenues for information retrieval, fun, commerce, and surprises at millions of web sites. The theses of Mr. Dertouzos book is that, in a quiet and relentless way, information technology is altering our world so profoundly that the movement rivals the changes brought on by the Industrial Revolution (11). The evidence of these changes is embedded in our popular culture and have ramifications for all our institutions.
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Most people welcome the notion that increased reliance on computers and information technology will change how we work and how we play (12). But what old and new issues will advancement cause? Technology is advancing at a rate well beyond our human capacity to cope with the moral and ethical dilemmas associated with it. Technology will challenge us to re-examine aspects of our lives and how we relate to others. The march of progress will also demand that we re-think : how we receive health care, how our children learn, how the elderly remain connected to society, how government conducts their affairs, how ethnic groups preserve their heritage, whose voices are heard, even how nations are formed. Increased reliance on computers and information technology will present serious challenges: poor people might get poorer and sicker; criminals, insurance companies, and employers might invade our bank accounts, medical files and personal correspondence (13).
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In the early 1980s the demand for personal computers was phenomenal. Buying your own personal computer was like buying a car: you would never again have to wait for the bus, much less get bumped off onto the street (14). Because of technical limitations, these independent personal computers could not easily share information. To solve this problem researchers throughout the world began analyzing how to make large scale information sharing possible. Some organizations were skeptical about the possibility of linking independent computers. International Business Machines (IBM) could not believe that the mainframe computer and its connecting terminals could be replaced by personal computers with no central authority to control them (15). Years later, IBM and other makers of large computers would be forced to lay off thousands, having steadfastly refused to recognize the worldwide shift from a few big machines to masses of small computers as a direct result of the rapid development of the microprocessor by Intel and others. The ascendancy of the personal computer shattered the notion that a centralized machine was needed to coordinate and control people at various terminals. The "Information Marketplace" is the next step (16). This marketplace will reshape our notion of "community ", this time among millions of people at powerful machines. The growth of personal computing moved us away from computer autocracy and moved us toward computer democracy.
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Ideally the Information Revolution will repeat the successes of the Industrial Revolution, except that this time brain work instead of muscle work will be offloaded onto machines. As the technology improves there are many questions that are looming and unanswered (17). Questions worth considering include:
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a. Are we going to be overloaded with information, like today's web, that force our eyes and brains to do most of the sifting?
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b. Will we gain greater access to needed information, along with a greater individualization of products and services, or will we drown in info-junk?
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c. What should software and hardware vendors of the twenty-first century offer to propel the Information Marketplace beyond its current stage?
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d. Will computers increase the industrial performance of the world's nations?
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e. What will happen to employment?
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f. Will our quality of life improve through cheaper, faster and higher quality health care and greater access to knowledge?
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g. Will the rich who can sooner afford these technologies get richer?
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h. Will the poor be given new leverage or will they be left further behind?
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i. What new gadgetry and interface might appear, and how will we use them?
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j. Will ordinary citizens be better heard by their government?
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k. Will our privacy be assured on this electronic network or will Big Brother end up knowing more about all of us?
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l. Should we amend our laws to protect against this new technology?
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m. How might war and peace be affected?
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n. How will human relationships be affected by the relentless progress of technology?
Are today's technologies improving the quality of peoples lives? The resounding answer is yes. Todays' technologies offer a better deal for everyone (18). Individuals are acquiring greater control over their lives, their minds, their bodies even their genes, thanks to breakthroughs in medicine, communication, transportation and industry (19). These technologies are simultaneously providing social benefits and undoing some of the environmental damage caused in the past. Improved technology helps to conserve natural resources and reduce pollution. American farmers are so efficient that unneeded cropland is reverting to forests and parks (20). It is not surprising that the most high tech countries have the cleanest air and purest water. The Information Revolution is also fostering peaceful cooperation between people by decentralizing power. Today tyrants and demagogues are disempowered because their subjects can communicate directly with one another via the world wide web, satellite communications, etc.
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Technology has given people the tools to do their jobs at home. People are also forging new communities in cyberspace and developing new relationships with their neighbors in real space. Arguably, technology has the potential to increase individual freedom and strengthen community - even though so many people argue it does neither at the moment.
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Since 1965, Americans have gained an average of one hour of leisure each day, according to social scientist at the University of Maryland (21). Some "experts" even believe that by the middle of the next century, the average work week in America will be shorter than 28 hours. Today men and women have more time and opportunity than ever to pursue their dreams. So why do so many people complain about modern technology? One reason is that new technologies, like computers, usually are more trouble than they are worth - at first (22). Initially, they are hard to learn and create resentment among workers particularly the unskilled ones who fear displacement and are jealous of higher paid "experts" in the new technology.
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There is no reason to assume that personal computers will remain complicated. Gadgets become more user friendly as technologies mature and marketers appeal to the masses. Today, E-mail is a novelty that can be disruptive, but pioneers are developing techniques for coping, like automated responses when there is no time to deal with an overcrowded mailbox and filters to sift out the junk mail (23).
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Technological progress has also raised our overall quality of life expectations. Today, the middle class demands privileges once limited to the rich, from material luxuries to cultural experiences and intellectual fulfillment (24). People feel rushed today because they have more possibilities and demand more "entertainment stimulation". With technology we've upped the ante. Instead of corresponding with 6 or 7 people we have 150 E-mail partners ." Currently, only about 40 percent of Americans have computers, but the percentage is rising as the machines become less expensive and easier to use (25).