Disruptive Technology Part II

From the Ramparts

Junious Ricardo Stanton

Disruptive Technologies Part II

“Disruptive technologies hold within themselves the capacity to alter our lifestyle, what we mean by work, business and the global economy.” https://www.intelligenthq.com/technology/12-disruptive-technologies/

Last week I presented some ideas on disruptive technologies. There are two types of technology, sustaining and disruptive. Sustaining technology are innovative developments that improve upon already existing technology, services or products. Disruptive technologies are defined as: one that displaces an established technology and shakes up the industry or a ground-breaking product that creates a completely new industry. http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/disruptive-technology.

We live in an era of rapid change, innovation and technology that have far reaching impact and effect on our daily lives and even more so in the future. Last week I provided examples of disruptive technologies from the CIA and DARPA but there are many technologies that impact our daily lives we take for granted. Here are some disruptive technologies that are now or will be integral parts of our lives: the Internet, cloud storage and servers, 3D printing , DNA gene editing, virtual reality devices, magnetic strip credit card, robotics, artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles, digital implants, bots and apps.

Innovative technology is changing the workforce and the workplace. More and more automation and robotic applications are being used and this automation is displacing manual workers. “ Disruptive technologies, as well as disruptive innovations and business models, affect previously established technologies and industries. Computers, smartphones and the Internet—things that most of us use without thinking twice about—are some of the biggest disruptive technologies we utilize every day. Computers quickly replaced typewriters and, with the introduction of the Internet, have entirely changed our society and culture. With the world of work changing rapidly, both those seeking employment and those already employed need to remain aware of advancements and changes coming to their industries. For those in the workforce, this means being actively involved in your industry—by attending workshops, watching webinars or joining relevant associations—to ensure you are aware of upcoming changes. Jobs will evolve as technology changes, so it’s important for employees to keep their skills up to date in order to ‘future-proof’ their jobs. Bev Stevens, a co-op and career educator with the Gustavson School of Business, notes that some jobs will start to disappear with the introduction of more technology and artificial intelligence; however, she believes that many jobs will simply start to look very different, so employees should educate themselves on new technologies before they affect their professions.” Day to Day Disruptions How Disruptive Technologies Are Affecting The Way We Work https://onlineacademiccommunity.uvic.ca/gustavson/2016/07/21/disruptivetechnology/

Futurists predict disruptive technology will alter the way we live, work and our immediate environment in negative ways. In many cases disruptive innovation has created fewer jobs than it replaced and is altering society in very harmful ways. In fact in a recent article Sean Parker one of the executives of the social media giant Facebook admitted they knew the negative consequences of the technology when they were engineering it, but did it anyway! https://www.axios.com/sean-parker-unloads-on-facebook-2508036343.html

We need to be aware of the downsides of innovative technology. Here are a few articles I think you should read on this subject: http://roogirl.com/25-negative-effects-of-technology/, http://myessaypoint.com/how-technology-effects-our-society, https://www.morganmckinley.ie/article/5-negative-impacts-technology-has-our-everyday-lives and https://www.kibin.com/essay-examples/the-negative-impact-of-technological-innovation-on-the-job-market-and-society-jNOuytae

I’m not trying to be a fuddy-duddy on this issue but we need to be clear on how innovation is impacting us, especially in a society that has a consciousness of exploitation, winner take all and considering our history in this vampire capitalistic culture. As manual labor gives way to robotics and automation how will this impact the working class?

Globalization has already had a deadly effect on us and transformed much of the world. “The transition to a post-industrial economy has been far from advantageous to a substantial share of the population. Just because we have been innovating and growing successfully for a quarter of a millennium by no means implies that the process will, or should, continue indefinitely. No such economic law exists, and the historical record indicates that there are times when economic regimes reach a tipping point and abruptly change direction. That is what I believe is happening now. At the very least, it is time to acknowledge the possibility.” John Komlos http://www.milkenreview.org/articles/disruptive-innovation-the-dark-side

Food for thought.

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