 The magazine of the Melbourne PC User Group Modern day Luddites Alistair Lloyd |
Waiting in line at the supermarket the other night, a Luddite behind me struck up a conversation with the woman waiting behind him. "You know what really holds these queues up?" he asked rhetorically, "It's these silly things!" He waved his hand dismissively at the EFTPOS (Electronic Funds Transfer - Point of Sale) unit sitting beside the cash register. "They're a waste of time. There's a bank just across the road! If people can't find the time to get money there... it's their own fault for being so disorganised!" His audience of one agreed emphatically. Some people refuse to accept technological change; this is their right, but the consequences and alternatives are difficult for many to imagine.
"Luddites" was the collective name given to labourers and rural workers who took it upon themselves to wreak havoc on the British Industrial Revolution during the early nineteenth century. Under orders decreed by a fictional "King Ludd" these folk went about denouncing modern industrial technology. They took this to violent extremes - smashing factory equipment such as spinning and hosiery machines, thus ensuring their message wasn't ignored.
The Luddites saw the introduction of the machines as a threat to their livelihood. Where five people laboured for several days to produce a measure of cloth, a single worker with a machine could do the same in an single afternoon. It was a threat; it was something they did not understand. Their reaction to such a change in their lives was a negative one. Denounce and destroy what you do not understand.
In these more "enlightened" times, it is interesting to watch history repeat itself. Rapid advancements in computer technology during the last half of this century have changed almost every facet of urban life. But modern Luddites are more selective in the machines they denounce.
Back in the supermarket the shopper never complained that it took less than a minute for the attendant to scan his items and present him with a totalled receipt. He may have been on his way to the TAB, to keep an eye on the odds of his favourite pony, which were being updated on the big screen every few minutes. Or he may have been crossing the road to the bank, perhaps to check on the electronic transfer of funds into his account. All in all he may have come across modern technology over a dozen times that day, most of which he had taken for granted.
He may have read about the "evils of the Internet" in the newspaper that day. Maybe the article mentioned that children could access pornography and adults-only literature through the Internet. It probably didn't mention that the same children could learn about other cultures, saving lives and modern scientific miracles on the Internet. He may not have realised the value of exchanging messages, pictures, thoughts and ideas with people whose cultures, religions and backgrounds he may not even know exist. Even when technologically unaware people become familiar with some of the more accessible, basic facts, "technophobia" - a term for a fear of modern technology - may keep them from exploring further.
Just think about how many people you know with an unreasonable fear of programming their video recorder. Some may sit down, insert a tape and settle down for a good night's entertainment. They may play chess or bridge with their friends and picture four or five moves ahead. They may argue the intricacies of modern politics. What they will not do is program their video recorders. If someone is convinced that a task is too confusing or too much bother to learn, they may never try, even when the task is no more difficult than many other things they do with ease.
Time marches on
In recent years we have seen the typing pool replaced by word-processing staff and the walkie-talkie by the mobile phone. The telegram was replaced by the telex, which in turn was replaced by the facsimile machine. Keypunch operators are being replaced by point-of-sale systems and barcoded products.
There is a limit to these changes - tasks requiring unique human views or emotional responses are beyond the reach of computerised systems and will be for the foreseeable future. Not all human roles will be replaced by automated systems, despite the prophecies of those who believe that the future is completely digital.
The Luddites familiar rallying cries, "What about all the people who will be made unemployed? What about the unskilled workers who do not have the socio-economic or educational background necessary to cope with such rapid changes in technology?" are more emotive than ever.
The success of any technology directly depends on its availability and the availability of a skilled workforce to put the technology to use. The responsibility for the effect new technology has on people, lies with those who implement technological change, not the technology itself. They should make it available in proportion to its necessity and must ensure that those who are to use it know it well enough to be able to benefit from it. They should not make the assumption that it will be immediately welcome or that all the changes it initiates will be positive.
There will always be those who are wary and apprehensive. It is human nature to be afraid of the unknown and the new. A computerised factory or office is to an unskilled worker what a spinning jenny was to the Luddites in the 1800s. What we learn to accept now will be child's play for our descendants. Whether it is for good or evil is in the eye of the beholder.
Our children will inherit a world that is going ahead with technology whether individuals like it or not. Individuals have the choice to accept or reject change. We can embrace changes and adjust our lives to incorporate them but is our only alternative to be left behind? Perhaps not yet. The years roll by and virtually everyone in modern, urban Australia has a telephone, a television and a radio. More and more people have home computers are using mobile phones.
It could be that there are no alternatives - that those who do not adjust will become spectators, watching the world march. Modern-day Luddites may be vocal. They may tell everyone why they choose not to be dragged along by cables and barcoded tags. They may fight change and technological growth at every turn. They may live perfectly happy and rewarding lives. They will, however, be the minority as we roll on to the next century.
Reprinted from the June 1996 issue of PC Update, the magazine of Melbourne PC User Group, Australia
