18 September 2006 Reading
Information Ecologies by Bonnie Nardi and Vicki O'Day:
Information Ecologies by Bonnie Nardi and Vicki O'Day:
- Chapter One:
- The authors make a point of bringing up the hypothesis that everything about everyone will eventually be available online -- in fifty years or less. Is this really necessary or desirable? I know the authors think that it isn't, and I have to side with them. Who the heck needs to know that the guy down the street just got gas on his way to work? The sheer banality of most of the information that would be provided would, I think, cause this idea to be nipped in the bud.
- Chapter Three:
- Technique. Has efficiency ever been the sole dominant human value? Or is this just a postulate? Aesthetics, morality, quality, and other values are also right up there, and sometimes trump efficiency. For example, it would be more efficient, in terms of time and money, for me to go buy a scarf for my grandmother for her birthday. But the meaning and quality behind a personally-made scarf for her trumps whatever I may gain in time and finances.
- Morality in regards to cloning: I agree that it may be morally dubious to clone humans. But does that mean that all research must stop? Couldn't cloning even be morally good in some situations? For example, cloning could help couples who are at risk of conceiving children with a genetic disorder have children by providing a fetus that is identical to one of the parents. Most technology, I think, has a beneficial side if used wisely; I do realize, however, that that's a big if.
- I do think it's ridiculous to think that technologies don't display social values. Even the wheel was invented because we value being able to move things! I wonder, though, if the example of the H-bomb and Oppenheimer was more of a case of a man caught up with the research than an example of valuing the fruition of his research.
- The authors state that they "do not mean to imply that change should be stopped, but rather that it should be expected and examined." Which is good, I think. However, it seems that in some cases, they expect the developers and implementers of technology to anticipate unforeseeable consequences. I realize that sometimes it is the case that the technology has caused foreseeable problems, but there are truthfully situations in which the technology has had side effects that did not and could not become apparent until after its implementation. I wonder how the authors would feel about moving ahead in a case like that; would they favor it, or would they prefer to stick to the old way?
- Chapter Four:
- I find the idea of teaching, the human-to-human element, particularly intriguing. Technology is only as valuable as it is useful. Teaching others to use a type of technology is a great way to spread technology, and for the teacher to learn more about the technology.