Is It Worth It? | Technology

By DanScott
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There has been much ado lately about the potential freedoms created by the new age of communication evinced by the Internet. People are mainly focused on the newness of it all; how modern technology is changing all the rules, but this idea has actually been around as long as we've been creating new things. Every new technological innovation leads inevitably to the discussion of new freedoms. Basic freedom from the limitations imposed by the old technology to freedom based on paradigm shifts in our society enabled by the new technology. Electricity, the automobile, radio, the airplanethe list goes on and on; each of them bringing major changes in our lives, our language, and our perception of the world.

And, each step forward brings new hope that it brings with it a new kind of freedom. Currently, we hope to be freed from the bonds of brick-and-mortar buildings, traffic congestion, and forced separation from our families (i.e. "a day at the office"). At this moment I am sitting in my "home office" drinking tea. By the end of the day I will have participated in two remote meetings (while strolling through my yard enjoying our spring flowers and thinking I really should mow it, but won't), helped a half-dozen or so customers and company representatives work through their particular problem of the day (while dropping my kids off at summer band, running my car through the car wash, and picking up a cappuccino), had lunch with my wife at our favorite restaurant, and written a concise, management-level description of our latest product offering. A few years ago I would have spent the entire day in a cubicle somewhere, but today the Internet and its related technologies allows me the freedom to choose where to work.

But, at what price? Having the freedom to always be able to connect from wherever I am tends to translate to having the responsibility to always be connected, no matter where I am. There is a growing expectation that email is instantaneous and phones should always be answered, no matter where or when they call. There is an implicit trade-off between never being physically at work and never being mentally away from it. Is it worth it?

As you might expect, some say yes and some say no. Typically, the older you are the more likely you are to say "no". The younger people are more accustomed to the lack of privacy afforded by the Internet and often seem to revel in it in the extroverted sense of exhibitionism common to youth. Older people, more familiar with the darker aspects of the world and its government, look askance at a technology that asks them to give up any of their rights and especially their privacy.

By the time the upcoming generation reaches the point where they are making the decisions and we older folk are gumming our tapioca and listening to easy-listening versions of Metallica the Internet will have become so integrated into our society it will be seldom thought of as the "thing" it is today. Everything will be in contact with everything else in a weird technical rendition of Buddhism. Trying to tell the difference between being "online" and being "offline" will become moot; more the subject of classroom philosophy than day-to-day discussion.

Indeed, the open forum offered by the Internet could be seen as a platform to promote democracy across the planet. On the surface a seemingly good thing to those of us living in free societies, but true democracy has never worked. The average person is too easily duped, too easily swayed by emotional appeal for a government ruled by the masses to work on a large scale. Many of the founding fathers of our country felt the same way and that is in large part why our government is a form of representative republic instead of a democracy.

It's not that people electing their government through democratic voting all over the world would be bad; far from it. However, the ease of Internet-based voting could quickly lead to voting for everything. Every resolution, every question of any political import will be put to a vote. Politicians will learn to abstain from all responsibility for any question that could possibly reflect poorly on them, leaving it "up to the people". If you think that sounds like a good idea, try picturing a high school in which all administrative decisions are left up to the students.

Sometime in our lifetime technology will give us the capability to safely and securely perform any kind of transaction online, including voting. Inevitably, major elections will take place on the Internet or whatever replaces it. It's only a small step from there to a wholly democratic government run by continual Internet-based referendum. A brave new world indeed, but at what cost?

About the Author

Dan Scott is a Computer Scientist with over 25 years of accomplishments designing, constructing, and supporting computers and computer applications. Make sure you check out his web hosting analyses covering the top affordable web hosting sites.

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