Time and Technology

One thing I read about over and over again in our cases is the time it takes to develop technology and to do things the right way.

That has led me to a question: Does technology save us time or cost us time?

I think it really depends on what you do for a living. For those that are in non-technological managerial positions, I think the answer is that technology saves time on a daily basis. However, when it comes to the grand total of time spent, how much time does technology development, implementation, and use actually save us? More importantly, how much does technology development, implementation, and use actually cost us compared to the status quo?

I know I'm going to get a slanted answer in this class, and I'm even of the opinion personally that technology has been the main driver behind economic growth in the last 70 years. That's pretty much beyond question to me, but the answers are much more complicated than that.

For example, finding a qualified candidate to fill a position is much easier now than it used to be, and that's thanks to simple things such as employment websites and the availability of quick background checks on the qualifications of applicants. However, if you're hiring someone in their early-twenties, the odds are that they simply aren't as able to work face-to-face in groups as they used to be. Technology may make the cost of business cheaper, but what about those little things that we've lost over time, since technology has become the barrier between human interaction?

I know I sound like I'm 80 years old now, but it's just something to think about in a class where we push the advantages of technology so much. We talk about the drawbacks, but we always place the blame on something other than the technology, ignoring the fringe drawbacks of the effects of using such technology.