Technophiles versus Neo-Luddities

   Many academics, computer professionals, and social scientists have become increasingly critical of technology and its influence on individuals and culture. People who criticize computer-based technology are often called neo-Luddites. The term comes from the followers of Ned Ludlum, who were called Luddites. In the early nineteenth century, Ludlum and his group smashed machinery in England because they thought the machines would destroy their jobs and livelihoods. The Luddites were attempting to stop the use of new technology in textile manufacturing. Although the Luddites were unable to prevent industrial progress, they did give a name to people who resist and oppose technological innovation.

   The rapid growth of computer technology and the Internet has led to an increase in resistance to technology and computers. Brook and Boal's Resisting the Virtual Life (1995) is a series of essays that are critical of the ways in which people use computers. Similarly, Stoll's Silicon Snake Oil (1995) describes some of the ways advanced technology is used for trivial purposes that seem absurd when thought about in depth.

   Technophiles is a term coined by Postman (1993) to describe people who are in love with technology. Technophiles are so enthusiastic about the use of new technology that they often fail to weigh its pros and cons and costs and benefits. For technophiles, the search for a technological solution to a problem becomes more important than practical considerations. Technological problem solving becomes an end in itself, and larger social implications are often not examined. Graham (1999) refers to this as the ideology of technology, that is, the assumption that the most technologically advanced solutions are the best ones. This belief would lead to a world ruled by technological innovation, which Postman calls a technopoly.

   There are two assumptions associated with a technopoly. First, that everything that came before a new technology is redundant and obsolete and therefore should be discarded. Consider this idea in terms of software upgrades. Built into the software upgrade cycle is the concept of obsolescence and the constant replacement of old versions of programs with newer ones. Second, individuals and countries that want to prosper must invest in high tech nology. This second assumption explains why governments, such as those of the United States and China, want to provide Internet access and establish computer literacy programs. However, technology does not always fulfill optimistic predictions of success. A classic example of an unrealized prediction for computer technology is the paperless office. In the late 1960s, people began to predict that the computer would create an office environment in which paper was no longer used. Making paper copies of documents would become a primitive use of technology. In fact, the copy giant Xerox was so concerned about this idea that it set up a research and development site called the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) to create computer-based office technologies. PARC scientists developed graphical interfaces, computer networks, and the laser printer. Thirty years later, our office recycling bins are overflowing with copies of memos, letters, and reports made on laser printers. Instead of eliminating paper, network computer systems have actually increased its use. Often, technology will have the opposite effect to what people predict.