The title is pretty self-explanatory, but I still have to write more.
My dad is an electrical supervisor for the utilities in our town. I worked there over the summer and, honestly, I'm not 100% sure what that entails. Regardless, I know it involves a lot of communication, both with the other city workers and outside suppliers, for when they need to order new parts for this or that reason.
He has a computer in his office, and I know he uses it a lot, but he frankly describes himself as "technologically challenged". I didn't have to ask for that knowledge, it's pretty obvious, if not surprising.
Rather, he talked about the machine that gets a surprising amount of use in his office, the fax machine. When I first heard it go off, I thought his phone was broken. In reality, he said it's quite useful. He sends reports to the electrical inspectors with it often and actually prefers to have papers and documents sent to him through that over his computer.
He said it himself, "It gives me what I want in the way I want it right away. I don't have to format it or anything on the computer just to read it."
It makes sense to me. Much of what we've learned hasn't been about the latest technology and how cool it is, but rather about how technology is used. We focus more on the effects of technology and what they do for us in our society. If that means my dad keeps using a fax machine, so be it. It works for him, why should I argue?
2 comments:
I know a lot of people, including myself, find the fax machine outdated. But in this case, I can totally see why your dad uses it. Since I use computers all the time, my first instinct would be to send the documents through an email. I didn't really realize that doing that involves more steps and multiple potential problems. There could be problems with the server, problems with the computer, problems with the printer, and on and on.
It's nice to hear that "old" technology is still important and in some cases more useful than "modern" technology.
My mom's experience with technology in the workplace is very similar. She still uses "outdated" optometry technology, because she feels it still increases her productivity. I agree with you that there's no point in arguing - "quality over quantity". As long as technology is still helpful in the workplace, I don't see why it should be discarded.
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