Technology and World Change
Session 10
Brief Overview
In this lesson we were focused on developing a framework for
understanding what comes next. To me, it was all about being able to develop
certain models to predict where we are headed towards in terms of how are
development is going to be like and how we have to change the way we do things
today in preparation for tomorrow. Furthermore, we have to understand the
reasons for these changes to take place. We want to be able explore the
possible effects of having these changes implemented into our lives and how
they are going to change we work.
Interesting
Observations and Ideas
The video that captured my attention in class today was
titled “Mastering the Megatrends”. 2 megatrends that Siemens have recognized is
urbanization and demographic change. With all of these changes, there will be
an ever increasing need for power, healthcare, water, industry, mobility,
safety and security as the population continues to increase. Therefore, solutions
that are economical and environmentally friendly are required to address the
issues. The video showed the solutions to all of the above-mentioned challenges
that the world, especially the developing nations, face today. For example,
mobility is a factor of success and most the key for successful mobility lies
in transport, either by cars, trains, buses etc. But with the use of such
vehicles, this has created the problem of congestion. Siemens has come up with
intelligent systems and infrastructure such as public commuter trains to
control the smooth flow of traffic. Anther example is with regard to the
increasing demand for healthcare with quality being at the helm of it all.
Siemens have introduced digital hospitals where patient records are completely
digitally recorded. This saves valuable time and cuts cost because it increases
the efficiency of these physicians. The greatest to challenge is to build sustainable
infrastructure in the heart of a constantly changing world. The important fact
to note is to tackle megatrends with innovative, forward-looking solutions.
Another point worth taking note of in this session was about
the need to gain an understanding of what kinds of changes a new technology
innovation can bring. For example, in class, the idea of a driverless car was
brought into question. Although it might be an exciting piece of technology not
having the need to drive your own car and the idea of not having to find your
own parking lot seems to be a wonderful idea and invention, we have to think
about the consequences of having such a piece of technology in the first place.
There could be some social or economical problems that might arise because of
this invention. What will happen to all the cab drivers, what will happen to
them? Will their jobs, and thus livelihood be threatened because their jobs
might be displaced by this technology? Unfortunately, with the advent of such
technology being capable of replacing the human skills that we possess, this
possibility is only ever going to increase.
Key Takeaways
One key takeaway from this session is that there will always
be a positive or negative consequence to whatever technology we decide to
embark on either now or in the future. It is important to recognize all the
possible consequences with regard to any technology. We have to consider the
social, economic, political, environmental issues that arise when studying the
effects or it could lead to dire consequences. One of the presentations today
talked about the terminator seed technology that was implemented in India by
Monsanto. This has led to a steep increase in Indian farmers committing suicide
because this has heavily decreased their profitability especially in the cotton
plants because the farmers had to rely on purchasing seeds annually from them and
they were very expensive. He also mentioned that there may not have been
careful consideration when using such technology even though the Indian
government may have experienced short term increase in avenue. Then this calls
to attention to another question. Who should be responsible for the
implementation of such technology? The producers, the government or the
individual? How can we be sure of what is really in our best interest? I
believe that it is a collective effort. Even though there are times where we
have to take things with a bit of salt because they may have vested interest.
Issues for Further
Discussion
Some issues that I feel should have been discussed in class
pertains to how some of these models have actually succeeded or where they have
been use. That way it would be easier to draw references to real life examples.
Personal Ratings
I would rate this lesson a 7 because I felt like it was
informative and interesting concept to grasp.
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