Thursday

When Technological Advances Hit Cultural Roadblocks

I have just finished reading an article self-driving cars written by John Markoff for the on-line version of The New York Times.  The article is titled, "Collision in the Making Between Self-Driving Cars and How the World Works" and is available here: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/24/technology/googles-autonomous-vehicles-draw-skepticism-at-legal-symposium.html?_r=2 .

Reading the article reminds me that the growth and development of an innovative tech system or medicine is often more dependent on cultural, legal, and economic issues than it is on advances in technology or know how.  Societal inertia has often stalled or thwarted new innovations.  As an example, healthcare facilities would be much better off if they all adopted and properly utilized the latest EHR systems (complete with clinical practice guidelines, decision analysis tools, data collection features, POE systems, etc.).  However, the implementation rate has been painfully slow and this is due more than anything else to cultural and economic factors which are specific to the healthcare industry.  At the same time, some technologies which look really cool on the drawing board or in a research lab prove to be uneconomical (or a huge liability issue) when the attempt is made to utilize them in real world settings.  Hence, the self-propelled walkways that figured prominently in science fiction stories of the 50s and 60s are by and large restricted to airports.  Sometimes a society adopts a culture too quickly; its citizens (and leaders) don't take the time to assess the technology's impact on cherished ideals or time worn work patterns.  This situation routinely impacts corporations; they buy a new software package or automated system, or some other technology believing it will save them money.  In reality, these companies becomes more inefficient once they implement the change because their employees do not alter their workflow patterns to successfully handle the changes (or sometimes because the employees rebel at the changes forced on them as a result of the new tech).  These issues certainly provide food for thought.

Clip art courtesy of Microsoft Office

24 comments:

  1. It's the price we have to pay for poor planning I guess.

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  2. i have always been fascinated in self driving cars. And im almost 100% sure they would be safer, provided ALL the cars are controlled by the computer

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  3. Good topic Anthony--I did not see the article and had to read it via your link.

    I am all for climbing into a car and arriving at my destination after a nice siesta, but I think the legal environment here hinders the implementation of innovation. With a new technology like driverless cars, a certain segment of our society will be looking for an opportunity to make a buck. So, creators have to deal with real issues that may have as well as invented ones.

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  4. It's always a good idea to test out new technologies with employees first! Interesting post, following :)

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  5. Thanks Slam and Sujana...and I think each of you have a point. I especially think that some of the culture clashes are due to lack of planning, which seems to be a big issue with Congress. Senators and members of Congress always seem to react to a situation (once it reaches a crisis point) instead of taking a proactive stance; probably an unfair assertion but certainly the perception.

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  6. And I forgot to mention zazz and dwei...your points are valid as well.

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  7. Would be safer in general if kids didnt to drive at 15 or 16 hell even 17. And make the qualifications stricter. And why not cap speed capabilities of cars to 40 city 60 highway? No reason to have the ability to hit 140mph. You will never need it.

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  8. That's true Dreadnaught...we would likely prevent a lot of accidents and save some lives if those rules were put in place.

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  9. yup. people like to follow a pattern and when new changes come into the picture, they get unhappy. like how i was initially unhappy with the new archiving system at my office. but with some training and practice, i've come to liking it.

    :)

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  10. I think there comes a point where we can't rely on technology. Would you want to be in a vehicle that had a "let's go 10000mph" glitch? idts... haha

    Followed :)

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  11. Lol Jax, I probably wouldn't be in that vehicle for long...one way or the other... :-)

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  12. wait till they start not teaching basic mathes because everyone owns a calculator.

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  13. Hola buenas tardes desde aquí; los avances tecnológicos en todos los ámbitos son cuantitativos que sean bien aprovechados o no eso ya es cuestionable según los medios.

    Has pasado por casa y me alegro que pudieras leer las humildes letras que en ellas suelo dejar.

    Un abrazo en este domingo de dialogo afectivo que las letras nos proporcionan.

    Te sigo.

    María del Carmen


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  14. Hello! All these are interesting...Thank You very much for visit! If You want we can follow to each other blogs...

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  15. Thanks Amin...if you join my blog, I will follow yours when I note you are following....

    @ Maria:

    Hola Maria,

    Gracias por sus comentarios. Me gustó mucho leer tus blogs. Te he seguido también.

    Antonio

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  16. Dear Anthony~I just think so many things that are pushed on people are motivated by money and not by the good intentions. If only people would think of consequences.
    Thank you for your visit and kind comment. Blessings, Catherine

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  17. That is true. I don't know much about Google. However, from what little I do know, I would guess that while the company's leadership is focused on maximizing profits, they are not solely motivated by this goal. For instance, at least some of the company's key founders and current c-suite execs are transhumanists. Their beliefs (in this regard) likely play at least a subconscious--and probably an overt--role in guiding their decisions.

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  18. Olá, amigo Anthony!
    Deveríamos conhecer bem todos os recursos a tecnologia presentes em nessa máquinas para fazermos bom uso da mesma, mas há coisas que não foram submetidas a testa para medir sua resistência e capacidade, por isso, elas não falham, mas o homem falhou.

    Obrigado por compartilhar conosco esse esclarecimento!

    Abraços!

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  19. Oi Bento,

    Obrigado por seus comentários, você tem toda a razão!

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  20. Great thoughts you got there, believe I may possibly try just some of it throughout my daily life.

    E-Publishing

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  21. Wow, nice blog. Pretty intersting read :)


    +followed :D

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  22. classic thoughts that changes the way of seeing new technologies emerging out...its impact on society there appetite to adopt .Follow
    New Technology Advances

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  23. Thanks so much for stopping by my blog and for your lovely comment.
    Its great coming across a new blog,thats a little different, Great writing x

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