Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Technology: The Fabric that Holds Society Together

Technology is the opiate of the civilized world, no less addictive than tobacco or alcohol. Everyone one has their toys and devices: computers, smart phones, mp3 players, GPS navigation systems. When we walk down the street, somewhere a computer is controlling the stop lights, when we pull our car into a gas station, a computer controls the pumps. Even in the checkout line at our local grocery store our purchases are scanned by computer. But more than this, our government is run by computers: our ships, planes and space shuttles are operated this way. All this technology is great, and it has improved our lives in many ways. Here’s the problem: all these machines and devices cannot be operated if the computer chips that run them should fail. Sure, they can be replaced, but what happens when the electricity fails on a massive scale? These computerized devices need electricity in order to work, and without it, they are rendered useless pieces of hardware. Worse than that, there are no back-up systems in place. All the old devices that did not require computerization have been cast aside. We need to reduce our dependence on technology because the basic function of society is based on the precept that none of these devices will fail-but if they do, modern society will cease to function. We need a contingency plan should the power fail for an extended period of time. We cannot be enslaved to this technology to the point where the loss of it can cause society to fall apart.
    In the event of a blackout, our lives grind to a halt. We worry about our refrigerated foods spoiling. If we have electric stoves, we are unable to cook food. We cannot see without this use of candles or flashlights. Aside from this, we are bored. No TV, no internet, no radio. We cannot leave the house and get in our cars without some form of traffic confusion. We cannot even pump gas because the pumps are controlled by a computer. So, what are we modern folks supposed to do, other than sit in the dark, angry at the local power company? In some cases, people will take advantages of the lack of light and surveillance systems, and riots will break out. That exact thing occurred in New York in July, 1977, when major riots, violence and destruction swept across the city during that 25-hour period.
    Our local stores come to a stop as well. The local bank, for example. Whatever money you have in your account is recorded on a computer screen and is maintained in cyberspace via the bank’s intranet. When the power is out, a teller cannot even open her cash drawer. The same is true for most retail stores. They are all operated by a computer program of some sort, one that is only operational when a computer has power. We cannot even go through a drive through and order food-again, because of the computer issue. No power, no service.
    Local government also freezes in such a situation. Whenever we go to a local agency, such as the social security office or federal building, all these places are comprised of the same thing-desks with computers on them. There is a reason why guys like Bill Gates and Steve Jobs are the richest men in the world: there are the creators and designers of programs the world uses in order to function.
    Since technology is completely reliant on electricity, “the big concern is the coming solar flares from the sun that “were so powerful in 1859 that ‘people in the northeastern U.S. could read newspaper print just from the light of the aurora,’ Daniel Baker, of the University of Colorado’s Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, said at a geophysics meeting last December” (Lovett 1). The only result was the loss of operating telegraph machines. In Lovett’s article, Baker continues to explain that “electrical disturbances as strong as those that took down the telegraph machines-’the Internet of the era’-would be far more disruptive today” (Lovett 1). The reason for this is rather obvious, but more than just the loss of electricity would also be the loss of satellites. In order for the world to remain connected, we need satellites. Not only does this effect simple transactions like “purchasing a gallon of gas with a credit card, but more complex ones as well. Of particular concern are disruptions to global positioning systems (GPS), which have become ubiquitous in cell phones, airplanes, and automobiles, Baker said. In addition, satellite communications--also essential to many daily activities--would be at risk from solar storms, But the big fear is what might happen to the electrical grid, since power surges by solar particles could blow out giant transformers. Such transformers can take a long time to replace, especially if hundreds are destroyed at once. The cost of this would be astronomical” (Lovett 2).

    Clearly, the problem is a big one. Of course, there are some who feel that the evidence to support the reoccurrence of such powerful solar flares does not necessarily mean that they will actually  occur. The evidence of the 1859 solar flares is there, but no one truly knows the exact force with which those flares struck, and there is no guarantee that the result would be the same or greater. While this is true, it is important to consider that despite the lack of concrete evidence, it is still a possibility, and we should be prepared to for such a possibility. Because if it can happen, we should be taking steps to continue on afterward with relative ease and functionality. As it currently stands, we have not taken such steps.
    There are other skeptics who might also point out that not everything is stored and done electronically. We still use paper to a great degree and many files and records are still stored in that way--they all have digital duplicates for ease of access, but the original hard copies still exist. While this may be true, these are for mostly contractual and factual purchases. A local bank might have a costumer’s name, information and signature on file, but the person’s assets are still kept electronically--largely because they are constantly changing. Of course they are bank statements which come in paper form, but these are only monthly and will not necessarily provide an accurate statement of a person’s current assets.
    So, even though we are not completely dependent on technology, we are fairly close. Critics of my perspective might point out some weaknesses in my argument, but these weaknesses are rather moot compared to the strengths. As a technologically dependent species, our very way of life is always at risk in some way and we must act fast if we are to continue on as we have. After all, how many typical Americans cook with a wood burning stove? How many of us know the proper method of preserving meats without refrigeration? How many among us can efficiently hunt game with a bow and arrow? Of course, they are people who do know these methods, so they are not completely lost to modern humans, but most of us live in the modern world and are unfamiliar with archaic forms of living. Since we cannot teach every person on Earth these old techniques, we must back up the current technological standards of living by older ones. All the antiquated, less advanced technologies should remain in play in case of a major power loss. Cash registers should have a non-electrical back up register for use in a black out. This should be true for gas pumps as well, we should be able to flip a switch and pump without computer assistance. Most importantly, a bank’s records of a person’s current assets must be printed out every time money is spent or deposited. If we can keep these simple methods of commerce together, that would go long way in keeping things together should the lights go out for an indefinite amount of time. Maybe then, we could continue our lives without disastrous results.
   

References

Lovett, Richard A. (2011, March 2). What if the Biggest Solar Storm on Record Happened Today? Retrieved from National Geographic.com: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/03/110302-solar-flares-sun-storms-earth-danger-carrington-event-science/

McCune, Jenny C. (1998). Technology Dependence. Management review, 10-12.

McGowan, Alan. (1977). The New York Blackout. Environment, 19, 48-49.

Susskind, Charles. (2011). Technology. Retrieved from Grolier Online: http://ezproxy.marshall.edu:2639/article?assetid=0285580-0

Wohlenberg, Ernest H. (1982). New York Blackout Looting, 1977. Economic Geography, 58, 29-44.

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