"Most importantly, findability invests freedom in the individual." (Morville)
Although this sentence was briefly brought up within our classroom discussion, I do feel as if the connection between technology and freedom is a crucial concept to ponder on the deeper level. After analyzing this idea more closely, I have begun to wonder at the limitations of "freedom."
After initially bringing up this idea, Morville goes on to say that technology has given us the freedom to access information that would otherwise have been difficult, if not impossible, to obtain. In other words, he meant to say that findability equals freedom to accessibility. In today's information centered world, we have access to a plethora of information about ourselves, others, and the world around us. Just think about all the tasks that would have been difficult without the use of our current technology: navigation, bargain shopping, researching, contacting others, getting degrees, searching for jobs, learning about other cultures, etc.
One of the biggest things that comes to mind is our easy access to research. We now have the potential to learn more. At the same time, this means that everyone has access to this information as well. I would argue that this makes our jobs harder sometimes. For example, I have a paper that is due Friday in which I am to centralize around an author and tie in two outside, empirical sources. I am planning to use Ball State's online database. However, my job as a researcher has become harder because everyone is now aware of the wide array of conversation already taking place about this subject matter. It is harder to come up with something new and interesting when you are bombarded with numerous ideas as is. The stakes are now higher because of the easy access. We HAVE to know more now than we ever did. Moreover, I know my teacher will have had access to these same articles and will have developed her own ideas about the topic already. If I fail to mention something or something isn't quite right, it is now a click away from her scrutiny. Therefore, even in our freedom to accessibility, we feel the pressures of this "freedom."
Moreover, the freedom of accessibility has led to limitations in privacy. It is now easier to find out information about one another. Sometimes this information is not always accurate or even flattering. Technological advancements such as Google Satellite, online banking, online shopping, and pop-up advertisements can be dangerous if used incorrectly. Our information is out there, even if we do not always want it to be.
I guess this goes to say that freedom does come at a price. Even though we now have the freedom of having more access to information, sometimes that information can be used against us. Whether it is the absence of a key aspect in a paper or stealing someone's identity, the stakes have become higher. We have to be careful when using this so-called "freedom."
This is very interesting. As an almost-AARP member, I have a bit of a different take on the following comment: “Just think about all the tasks that would have been difficult without the use of our current technology: navigation, bargain shopping, researching, contacting others, getting degrees, searching for jobs, learning about other cultures, etc.”
ReplyDeleteI agree that bargain shopping, researching, and learning about other cultures have all become easier with the use of technology. It’s easier to “find” information about these things online. But the others . . . not so much. I grew up before the Internet was available to everyone. We didn’t have computers or cellphones. (My first computer at my job used 8 x 8 disks to store information! Funny! And having a car phone—attached to your car!—was the latest and greatest new thing.) Anyway, we managed. If I needed directions, I asked (in person or over the phone), and then I wrote the information on a piece of paper. This was easy. Getting a degree may have, in fact, been easier back then. Granted, the myriad online colleges were not available, but for students attending a college like Ball State, life was simpler. Comparing my college life back then to my college life today, I would not agree that technology has made earning a degree easier. It’s not necessarily more difficult either . . . just different.
Searching for jobs is so much different now than it was before technology entered the picture. In some ways, technology has helped, but in others, technology has hindered some people’s ability to find a job. Before today’s technology, an actual person would look at your resume when you applied for a job. Today, a computer scans it for keywords. Now it’s possible for someone with lesser qualifications than you to get an interview—just by including the right keywords on their resume. You may have all the needed qualifications—you may be perfect for the job—but unless you use the right keywords, you may not even get contacted for an interview. And if the computer does approve your resume and then forwards it to a human for review, that person will most likely try to find you on the Internet. So information that wasn’t available to a potential employer back then—your credit score, your friends, your likes and dislikes—may actually make it harder for some people to find a job. It’s a changed world. . . .