The Social Impact of the Computer

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The Social Impact of the Computer

• J.A.N. Lee
• Virginia Tech

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A HISTORICAL APPROACH

• When did computers begin to have an effect on
  people?
• How have we been affected?
• What HAVE we done?
• Have we become too dependent on computers?
• What can we do about it?

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When did computers begin to have an effect on
people?

• The early machines - one-off, isolated
• 1950 UNIVAC - the first multi-frame machine
• 1955 IBM 650 - the first University machine
• 1960 IBM 1620 - the first College machine
• The period of the priest-hood of programmers

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Early Programming
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When did computers begin to have an effect on
people?

• 1965-1975 Time sharing
• 1964 The first e-mail
• Personal computing
• Immediate feedback
• Programming by trial and error
• 1965 - The introduction of the mini-computer
• The beginning of the period of computing as a
  public utility - for the privileged few

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When did computers begin to have an effect on
people?

• 1970s - The microcomputer for enthusiasts
• 1975 - Computers in the office
• 1980 - The IBM PC
• 1984 - The Macintosh
• The period of the HOME computer
• And since then
• The INTERNET
• For the Millions

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When did computers begin to have an effect on
people?

• 1940 - first computation over telephone lines
• 1960s - the MODEM and Timesharing
• 1970s - networking
• 1980s - ARPANet, NSFNet, BITNET,
• News groups, LISTSERVs,
• 1990s - The INTERNET - WWW
• The period of ubiquitous computing

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Ringing the Changes
Computer as a Number Cruncher
Computer as a Tool
Computer as a Search Engine
Computer as a Utility
Computer as a general purpose system
Computer as a Communicator
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How have we been affected?

• The early days
• computerists became addicted
• but proud and dedicated
• to the public - the concept of the GIANT BRAIN
• to the insiders - the dumb, recalcitrant, moronic
  computer

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How have we been affected?

• 1950s - the emergence of the HACKER
• 1960s - the identification of the user
• The computer replaces the slide rule
• The job of the future
• The era of job swapping
• 1970s - the connected user
• 1980s - the personal computer
• 1990s - the on-line millions

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How have we been affected?

• Users have moved from being an elite
  professionally responsible to a community with
  widely varying attitudes
• Very high level applications allow anyone to
  develop a program
• Including the untrained, the untrainable, and the
  dont-wannabe-trained

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The stages of impact

• Direct replacement of an activity with little
  change in productivity
• Enhancement of activities by improvements in
  speed and efficiency
• Extending activities to those that could not be
  done previously

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What HAVE we done?

• Created a DIGITAL DIVIDE
• The haves and the havenots
• Between schools, between school districts
• Between the old and the young
• Between parents and children
• Between male and female
• Between rich and poor
• Between town and country

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What HAVE we done?

• Look at almost any job description!
• Qualifications for a secretary(1) ...Working
  knowledge of standard office practices, equipment
  and word- processing software .Preferences
  given for experience with spreadsheets and
  graphics software, Microsoft Word, Word Equation
  and Excel ... experience editing and
  proofreading complex documents. (2) Preferences
  given for experience working on a Mac OS,
  experience with Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel,
  and Banner, experience maintaining a database.

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1970 IBM Advertisement
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Yesterday, Marion was a billing clerk Today,
shes a whole department.
Friden Advertisement 1965
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What HAVE we done?

• WAREHOUSE SUPERVISOR
• Must be computer literate to include word
  processing, spreadsheets, web-based research, and
  email. Must have a valid vehicle operator's
  permit and a good driving record.

We have changed peoples lives For good or bad?
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Informality vs the Archive

• The e-mail seemed so innocent. "Betty, hi," he
  remembers cheerfully typing to his colleague. "I
  haven't been successful reaching you by phone, so
  I'll try e-mail instead."
• And so Bill Lampton--then an employee of a large
  hospital--dashed off the rest of his note on some
  trivial office matter and hit the send button.
• Betty never got past the greeting.
• "I have no idea what you mean about my not
  returning phone calls," Lampton recalls Betty
  firing back. "To have you accuse me of ignoring
  your calls is unthinkable and inexcusable. . . .
  As to the purpose of the e-mail that you sent me,
  I prefer not to respond, as I dislike dealing
  with anyone who assumes the worst of me."

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Have we become too dependent on computers?

• Have we become too dependent on

Television? Housing? Airplanes? Clothing? Prosthe
tics? Society?
Steel? Cars? Oil? Electricity? Telephones? Plastic
?
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What have we done to Society?

• Collapsed time?
• Collapsed space?
• Broken down natural barriers?
• Intermixed incompatible attitudes?
• Invaded privacy?
• Made it vulnerable?
• Created an information overload?

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What have we done to Society?
For

• Provided a new industry with expanding employment
  needs
• New life for old industries
• Improved communications
• Created tools that would otherwise be impossible
• Saved time
• Changed the Atomic Age into the Information
  Age

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What are the dangers?

• Using computers where simpler solutions exist
• Using software in critical situations
• Safety critical applications
• Mission critical systems

BUT ARENT THESE OFFSET BY ADVANTAGES?
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What are the advantages?

• Using software in critical situations
• Safety critical applications
• Mission critical systems
• More easily upgradeable, replaceable
• Millions of new uses, new capabilities

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What can we do about it?

• Should we become Luddites?
• (See http//www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Luddite)

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Should we have killed the railroad engine?
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Should we NOT continue to develop the computer?

• We cannot go backward
• We have not had a MAJOR breakthrough since 1970 -
  the integrated circuit
• What is the next big step going to be and where?
• What will be the effect?

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Progress, Development, Evolution

• Whatever we do
• We will not stop progress
• We will not stop people using our products in
  ways that we do appreciate
• And we WILL find new uses and applications that
  will be advantageous

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Stopping ProgressAn Example
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One last thought

• Martin Luther KingOur technology is
  outstripping our spirituality