Technology ignores poor and seniors
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Business and government are using the latest technology to change every aspect of our lives.
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Automatic tellers, online banking, self-checkout for groceries, self-serve for airline booking and boarding, vending machines sell every convenience, and now, virtual money.
Bitcoin is “a decentralized digital currency, without a central bank or single administrator, that can be sent from user to user on the peer-to-peer bitcoin network without the need for intermediaries” (Wikipedia). Bitcoin enables illegal transactions, scams, money laundering, tax evasion.
Nations have opened a Pandora’s box because technology demands mega amounts of reliable electricity supply.
Terrorists, hostile nations and rogue hackers, will find dozens of vulnerable points to disable along power generation and transmission.
The interruptions caused by enemy nations and ransom hackers in the last two years to hospitals, fuel transmission and security systems are only overshadowed by hurricanes and extreme weather. Electricity disruption means no cell service, stalled gas pumps, closed stores, no TV, no credit cards.
Survivalists will use a small radio (preferably not battery powered) to hear news reports. Undeveloped countries would manage better in a prolonged blackout.
Technology requires smart phones and computers, which many poor and seniors can’t afford, or the ability to operate them.
The COVID-19 pandemic revealed this when schools switched overnight from in-person learning to online instruction. Families could not provide their children with Internet access or hardware when they themselves were out of work.
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Some students lived in areas not served by WiFi and their education was permanently damaged.
Every years, hospitals, businesses and governments, introduced new computer systems that are not thoroughly tested for compatibility with existing systems.
Overrun budgets mean a rush to get them up and running while omitting vital steps in training users and merging new and older systems.
Frontline workers have to debug them on the go; the costs fall on the buyer, not the supplier.
Canada introduced the Phoenix payroll system to civil servants in 2016, who immediately found shortages in their pay checks (some are still short).
The project cost $540 million more than budget, and the total cost to fix it will be $1 billion by 2022.
Technology forces people to adapt to constant and unwelcome change.
People born before the millennium have more difficulty adapting to constantly changing technology.
The latest is a “QR” code (a matrix bar code) on your smart phone to show proof of purchase, vaccination, and identity for admittance to work, arenas and restaurants.
Codes allow airline passengers to skip check-in lines and get a boarding pass. Soon the code will allow you to cross borders and prove your citizenship.
If your smart phone is older than five years, you’ll need a newer, costlier one with its own learning curve.
Cars and drivers are groaning over excessive technology, which distracts drivers.
It is almost impossible to reach a real human on those oxymoron “help” lines.
The ultimate aim is replace all human interaction and jobs with machines.
Your personal information on data bases is insecure, despite the best security. FBI, banks and defence agencies, have been contaminated.
Welcome to Brave New World, with apologies to Aldous Huxley.
Once again, the poor and old are most affected by technology.
Reach Gene Monin at adios43@yahoo.com
Gloss