1. 2000/11/17 1
The Social Impact of the
Computer
J.A.N. Lee
Virginia Tech

2. 2000/11/17 2
A HISTORICAL APPROACH
• When did computers begin to have an effect
on people?
• How have we been affected?
• What HAVE we done?
• Have we become too dependent on
computers?
• What can we do about it?

3. 2000/11/17 3
When did computers begin to
have an effect on people?
• The early machines - one-off, isolated
• 1950: UNIVAC - the first multi-frame machine
• 1955: IBM 650 - the first University machine
• 1960: IBM 1620 - the first College machine
• The period of the “priest-hood” of programmers

4. 2000/11/17 4
Early Programming

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When did computers begin to
have an effect on people?
• 1965-1975: Time sharing
– 1964: The first e-mail
– “Personal computing”
– Immediate feedback
– Programming by trial and error
• 1965 - The introduction of the mini-computer
• The beginning of the period of computing as a
“public utility” - for the privileged few

6. 2000/11/17 6
When did computers begin to
have an effect on people?
• 1970s - The microcomputer for enthusiasts
• 1975 - Computers in the office
• 1980 - The IBM PC
• 1984 - The Macintosh
• The period of the “HOME” computer
• And since then …
The INTERNET
For the Millions

7. 2000/11/17 7
When did computers begin to
have an effect on people?
• 1940 - first computation over telephone lines
• 1960s - the MODEM and Timesharing
• 1970s - networking
• 1980s - ARPANet, NSFNet, BITNET, …
– News groups, LISTSERVs,
• 1990s - The INTERNET - WWW
– The period of ubiquitous computing

8. 2000/11/17 8
Ringing the Changes
Computer
as a Number
Cruncher
Computer
as a Utility
Computer
as a
Communicator
Computer
as a general
purpose system
Computer
as a Search
Engine
Computer
as a Tool

9. 2000/11/17 9
How have we been affected?
• The early days:
– “computerists” became addicted
– but proud and dedicated
– to the public - the concept of the GIANT
BRAIN
– to the insiders - the dumb, recalcitrant,
moronic computer

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How have we been affected?
• 1950s - the emergence of the HACKER
• 1960s - the identification of the user
– The computer replaces the slide rule
– The job of the “future”
– The era of job swapping
• 1970s - the connected user
• 1980s - the personal computer
• 1990s - the on-line millions

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How have we been affected?
• Users have moved from being an elite
“professionally responsible” to a
community with widely varying attitudes
• Very high level applications allow anyone
to develop a program
• Including the untrained, the untrainable, and
the don’t-wannabe-trained

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The stages of impact
• Direct replacement of an activity with little
change in productivity
• Enhancement of activities by improvements
in speed and efficiency
• Extending activities to those that could not
be done previously

13. 2000/11/17 13
What HAVE we done?
• Created a “DIGITAL DIVIDE”
– The have’s and the have’nots
• Between schools, between school districts
• Between the old and the young
• Between parents and children
• Between male and female
• Between rich and poor
• Between town and country

14. 2000/11/17 14
What HAVE we done?
• Look at almost any job description!
• Qualifications for a secretary:
(1) ...Working knowledge of standard office practices, equipment and word-
processing software; ….
Preferences given for experience with spreadsheets and graphics software,
Microsoft Word, Word Equation and Excel; ... experience editing and
proofreading complex documents.
(2) Preferences given for experience working on a Mac OS, experience with
Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and Banner, experience maintaining a
database.

15. 2000/11/17 15
1970 IBM Advertisement

16. 2000/11/17 16
Yesterday, Marion was a billing clerk
Today, she’s a whole department.
Friden Advertisement
1965

17. 2000/11/17 17
What HAVE we done?
• WAREHOUSE SUPERVISOR:
– Must be computer literate to include word
processing, spreadsheets, web-based research,
and email. Must have a valid vehicle operator's
permit and a good driving record.
We have changed people’s lives
For good or bad?

18. 2000/11/17 18
Informality vs the Archive
• The e-mail seemed so innocent. "Betty, hi," he remembers cheerfully typing to his
colleague. "I haven't been successful reaching you by phone, so I'll try e-mail
instead."
• And so Bill Lampton--then an employee of a large hospital--dashed off the rest of
his note on some trivial office matter and hit the send button.
• Betty never got past the greeting.
• "I have no idea what you mean about my not returning phone calls," Lampton
recalls Betty firing back. "To have you accuse me of ignoring your calls is
unthinkable and inexcusable. . . . As to the purpose of the e-mail that you sent me, I
prefer not to respond, as I dislike dealing with anyone who assumes the worst of
me."

19. 2000/11/17 19
Have we become too dependent
on computers?
• Have we become too dependent on:
Steel?
Cars?
Oil?
Electricity?
Telephones?
Plastic?
Television?
Housing?
Airplanes?
Clothing?
Prosthetics?
Society?

20. 2000/11/17 20
What have we done to Society?
• Collapsed time?
• Collapsed space?
• Broken down natural barriers?
• Intermixed incompatible attitudes?
• Invaded privacy?
• Made it vulnerable?
• Created an information overload?

21. 2000/11/17 21

22. 2000/11/17 22
What have we done to Society?
• Provided a new industry with expanding employment
needs
• New life for old industries
• Improved communications
• Created tools that would otherwise be impossible
• Saved time
• Changed the “Atomic Age” into the “Information
Age”
For

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What are the dangers?
• Using computers where simpler solutions
exist
• Using software in critical situations
– Safety critical applications
– Mission critical systems
BUT AREN’T THESE OFFSET BY ADVANTAGES?

24. 2000/11/17 24
What are the advantages?
• Using software in critical situations
– Safety critical applications
– Mission critical systems
• More easily upgradeable, replaceable
• Millions of new uses, new capabilities

25. 2000/11/17 25
What can we do about it?
• Should we become Luddites?
• (See http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Luddite)

26. 2000/11/17 26
Should we have killed the
railroad engine?

27. 2000/11/17 27
Should we NOT continue to
develop the computer?
• We cannot go backward
• We have not had a MAJOR breakthrough
since 1970 - the integrated circuit
• What is the next big step going to be and
where?
• What will be the effect?

28. 2000/11/17 28
Progress, Development,
Evolution
• Whatever we do
– We will not stop progress
– We will not stop people using our products in
ways that we do appreciate
– And we WILL find new uses and applications
that will be advantageous

29. 2000/11/17 29
Stopping Progress
An Example

30. 2000/11/17 30
One last thought
• Martin Luther King:
“Our technology is outstripping our
spirituality”