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Peter Cochrane's Hard Drive 1999 Computing for a richer life I AM sometimes asked if I do anything other than sit in front of a computer. I also see the media depicting the lives of our children as dominated by computers and computer games, or the plight of teleworkers totally isolated from the rest of the human race. The notion that anyone would spend all his working hours in front of a computer seems outrageous - but some will do it. There are also those who will sit in front of the TV all day, or indeed sit in the cinema. A hundred years ago these people would probably have sat in the pub with a pint, staring into a fire with marginally less information content than TV. For most people, information technology provides the tools and a means of doing business. Being effective should not see us becoming anti-social or devoid of human contact, or indeed 100 per cent neglectful of those things we did in the past. We should still enjoy working wood, running, swimming, fly-fishing or just pottering around in the garden. It may sometimes be hard to achieve, but there has to be a balance. I have to admit to having out-sourced many of my old activities in order to make more computer and work time, but it appears my screen hours have remained near constant for the past decade. Interestingly, my TV time has decreased faster than the fall in programme standards, which in the past three years seem to have plummeted. It is now hard to decide whether you are in Britain or America, the programmes are so poor. In contrast, the quality of the material available on my computer is going in the opposite direction, and as result I increasingly devote my screen time to the new medium rather than the old. I also find this to be the case for many young people, and those who have spent a lot of time playing computer games rapidly graduate to higher levels of information and material. One of the most rewarding experiences is to meet young people with strategic capabilities that would outclass a Second World War general. These have been gained through the green-fingered activity of playing on simulations in competitive environments. It seems to me that one of the most valuable aspects of human existence is that of playing and following the example of others. Just as we are all a reflection of our parents, their habits, opinions and actions, then so are our children. For those with young children who just sit them in front of a television screen or computer for 12 hours a day, and never interact with them, I suspect the future may be difficult. Most parents - I hope - spend time with their children, helping them to solve problems and understand the world in which they live. But there is now a new middle ground where parent and child and all individuals can communicate with each other, where all can benefit. If it is used wisely, we shall see a broad application of networking and computers helping people to understand each other and their environment to mutual advantage. What would be very upsetting would be to see technology creating anti-social individuals who later became a disruptive force. Technology is benign, but in the hands of people it can be used as a tool for good or evil. The choice is ours: we ought not to neglect human relationships, but if we apply technology wisely, we can all benefit. 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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