The Computer is Pushing People out of the Picture

We live in an Information Economy - we are told, over and over. And this is true - the Computer is  using the Information we give it, to help us (or some of us) take over the world. Or help itself take over. It is not clear if the dog is wagging the tail here, or the tail is wagging the dog.

Information is now called Data - that is somehow removed from the People who made it. This is the alarming development I want to write about today.

People have been pushed out of the Picture before - many times, in fact. The discovery of Agriculture, for example - or later, the discovery of Bronze.

Every successful technology has used us to make itself more powerful.

The Computer is now such a technology. And it is using us, in ways peculiar to itself.  We have become its reproductive agent - making more copies of it all the time, and much better copies of it.

We did the same thing with the Steam Engine - that eventually became the engine driving our cars - that took over our landscape. After this happened, we were not so sure we were happy with the results - but we could not turn the clock backwards.

The Computer - with its networks, the Internet and Wireless - has taken over, in only twenty years - and we cannot turn this clock backwards either.

We can only do one thing - be smarter than it is. And use it, instead of letting it use us. It is a powerful new tool that can help us, in many new ways.

We have to drive a bargain with it "We will help you, if you will help us!"