Ruminations on our relationship with technology
“…technology education, something quite different from instruction in using computers to process information …”
– Neil Postman, The End of Education, p 43.
Professional topics look at something we often take for granted. We couldn’t perform our jobs without technology. Since technologies impact how we work and interact, workplaces can benefit not just from technology training (knowing how to use technology). They also can benefit from technology education (understanding how media and machines influence the way we work and communicate).
Given all the ways technologies influence our lives, many professionals have asked: What technology works best for what purpose? In other words (as educator Neil Postman asked), for what problem is the technology a solution? Professions that can help shed light on this question include technical communication, user experience, and business technology. To explore ideas in these professional topics, select any of articles below.
Why social media incentivize online outrage culture It’s no secret—during election years in particular—that online outrage culture dominates plenty of social media. That’s especially true whenever politics come up. According to Pew Research, social media users in the U.S. are now more likely to describe political discourse as “stressful and frustrating” on sites such as … Read more
The Cambridge Analytica data scandal Many of us first heard about the Cambridge Analytica data scandal shortly after the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election. At that time, we learned that Cambridge Analytica, a consulting firm, acquired personal data from tens of millions of Facebook users before selling it all to political campaigns, without users’ clear consent. … Read more
What is surveillance capitalism? No doubt, one of the unintended consequences of social media has been the loss of privacy. (See Part I of this three-part article.) To recap, big tech companies like Facebook surveil what you do online, collect massive amounts of your personal data (your likes, dislikes, consumer preferences, locations, comments, private messages, … Read more
“Narcissus as narcosis” Throughout history, new technologies have changed culture and transformed society, sometimes with unintended consequences. For instance, the printing press had the effect of spreading literacy and transforming tribal, oral cultures into national, literate cultures. Likewise, electronic and digital technologies are transforming society in fascinating but unpredictable ways. As Canadian philosopher and media … Read more
From technical writing to humanistic technical writing Over my years as a technical writer, I’ve learned that technical communication is sometimes a misunderstood profession. Occasionally, I meet people who think technical writers are professionals who write long, complicated documents about science and technology. Actually, I tell them, technical communication is practically the opposite. In truth, … Read more
What technical writing is (and what it isn’t) When I mention that technical writing and editing are part of what I do for a living, I occasionally hear this reaction: “Oh God, technical writing? Writing long, complicated documents sounds awful!” In fact, I very much agree. Writing long, complicated documents does sound awful. But that’s … Read more