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Peter Cochrane's Hard Drive 1998 Core and chore social classes WE hear a lot of concern about access to information and the availability of computers in terms of the haves and have-nots. In particular, children who have no access to a PC are often featured in the educational arena as under- privileged. But this is just one of many fault-lines that divide people as a direct function of birthright, wealth, expertise and access to technology. There is now a more visible indicator apparent in terms of time utilisation. Our society has a minority of people who spend money to save time, and a majority who spend time to save money. Computers are creating a world where ever smaller groups of people are directly involved in creating and manipulating wealth, while a growing army is involved in support. This has been evident in America for more than a decade: many professionals would not consider cleaning the car, gardening or house maintenance as viable use of their time, and this has been a significant factor in the creation of a new service-based economy. We are now beginning to see the same thing in Britain as computers invade every level of professional activity. The opportunity for individuals and companies to make money online is accelerating away from the off-line world. The new model is becoming one of multi-tasking, multi-employment, and doing something once but selling it 10 times (globally). There are those who like to proclaim that no one is making money on the Internet, but the reality is that billions of dollars worth of business is now conducted online in much the same way as it has previously been conducted by letter, telephone and fax. But the Net brings a new dimension of bit trading, without middlemen to introduce delay and extra costs - direct trading between customer and supplier is the norm. Those living and working online are desperate to create more off-line time for recreation. Meanwhile, many of those not online are desperate to create more money so they can get online. It was ever thus - we have been here before on our endless technology journey, and no doubt we will see it again. Rather than getting upset by these cycles and seeking artificial means to balance them out through taxation or political constraints, we might benefit from their direct exploitation. They offer an opportunity to create complementary rather than conflicting economies. In the developed world, we are on a trajectory of improved living and social conditions that is sustainable in the long term only if we advance our technology significantly. To do this will need all the skills and experience we can muster. Squandering our science, technology and engineering base in such wasteful activities as gardening and house and car maintenance does not make any sense. We need to keep it focused on solving major problems. It used to be the case that there was a direct correlation between the number of telephones in a country and its GDP. Today, that correlation has mostly disappeared and has been replaced by a stronger link between the number of PCs and the GDP. In short, more computers create more GDP, or at the very least sustain and support existing living standards as the old industries die. Peter Cochrane holds the Collier Chair for the Public Understanding of Science & Technology at the University of Bristol. His home page is: |
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