Blog Assignment 5

I recently read Chapter 7 entitled "Work: More, or Less? Better, or Worse?" from the Book Technology Matters bye David Nye. I have come to conclude that technology is one of the major factors that has lead to tough economic times, and it also leads directly back to The Human Factor.
Work, as defined in Technology Matters, is a social practice, requiring coordination between people. This definition makes me think of the Human Factor because in that article it talks about how the people using the technology at work might be the ones causing the problems. If you work at a place where you are using technology, you are required to understand it in order to use it properly, and that's where this definition comes in to play. In the Human Factor the people operating the technical machines obviously did not know how to use them correctly which lead to a terrible disaster. This is one thing in technology that we need to look out for. The skills of workers who use it.
Technology and economics are directly related in good ways and bad. With technology growing as fast as it has been, it has now taken over many jobs. we see this switch in jobs being filled with people to machines because they are more efficient and cheaper. This technology shift can be a good thing because it can take over petty little tasks. As stated in Technology Matters "Such work is boring, it isolates workers from sustained contact with other people, and does not lead to new opportunities." So in this sense technology taking over is a good thing, it gives people a chance to find better jobs. However, on the opposite side, this shift can be a bad thing and one of the major leading factors of how the economy is. Technology Matters states "The coming of industrialization meant several things: unemployment for some skilled artisans, monotonous low-wage work for others (often women and children), high wages for a few mechanics and some new jobs in the factory hierarchy (for example, in marketing and accounting)." Is technology putting us in these low economic times? Many people have been laid off because companies have been cutting back due to slow business. "Most telephone operators have disappeared, replaced by automatic switch boards. Many bank tellers have disappeared, replaced by automated teller machines. Computer programs have replaced many white-collar workers, allowing Internet users to file forms, pay bills, and make applications online. Will all the jobs disappear?" This quote form Technology Matters explains why people have been laid off.
This switch from human labor to technology has already affected us hevily. From helping people with dangerous jobs to cutting people out of jobs it will always come with it's good and bad. Who knows someday technology could be running our whole world.