The first person I interviewed was my grandfather, who is 80 years old. He owns a Fire Fighting equipment company, and uses the internet primary for this business only. He explained that he rarely emails, and if he does, it is mostly business related. I asked him a handful of questions about his internet use, and really got the feeling that he is not a big cyberspace fan. I know by the time he gets off work, he just likes to come home and relax, and the last thing he wants to do is surf the web for hours. He does not enjoy surfing the web, unless he is looking for a particular product he is thinking about purchasing. He does go on our family tree’s website to see the latest blog entries etc. So other than the occasion product inquiry or random email at work, my grandfather does not use the internet. I would not say technology has changed his life, but as far as work is concerned, it has changed his business quite a bit. His business does have a website, and with the help of their IT Tech, the website has been a good resource for many of their clients.
The next person I interviewed was my sister n law, Amanda. She is 21. Now she is the total opposite compared to my grandfather, especially when it comes to internet usage that is. She is on the internet allot throughout the day. She is in college, so a lot of time spent online is related to school projects and course research etc. However, my sister n law, loves emailing, and loves doing Face book. She is always very quick to respond to any emails I have sent, and she is the first to post pictures and update her Facebook status. She says she is very comfortable communicating online, and prefers this form of communication most days. She said technology has not changed her life drastically besides the fact “that is makes things a lot more convenient for her”.
The third person I interviewed was my stepfather. I chose him because he is the last person I would ever see on the computer. He said in the past couple years, he has probably been online a handful of times. He doesn’t type well, and he does not even know how to “surf the web”. I asked if he has ever emailed someone, and the answer was no. I told him I could not imagine that. Nevertheless, the reality is, he is being very truthful, and has never emailed one person. He owns an appliance business, and the only form of communication he has with his customers is on the telephone. Customers do not email when they need their dryer fixed, they use the telephone. Therefore, as far as work is concerned, he has no need for internet. My stepfather says he has no interest in learning how to use the internet, and prefers to use the good old fashion telephone for his business.
In comparing these three interviews, I concluded that internet is not a necessity. People can run businesses with cyberspace, they can have meaningful relationships, and they can have a normal existence with every using the internet.
In the book Technology, Postman writes “it is entirely possible for a business and other institutions to operate without a highly technicalized management structure, however hard fort us to imagine.” I find this statement so true. I cannot imagine a business ever functionally without ever using modern day technology, such as the internet. However, the reality is, for centuries businesses were flourishing without these modern day technologies.
mproctor385 said,
February 25, 2009 at 4:30 am
Hi Naomi!
I found your final paragraph to be very insightful. Though we’d typically condemn a large corporation who wouldn’t use the internet, I wonder if there would be benefits to not using email and the internet in a business. In my own experience I receive emails from people I work with even when they are right next to me! To say it in another sense, people would prefer to email me when they could just as easily say, “Hey Marc!” What does this mean? Would an organization benefit from having more “Hey Marc” and less email? I’m not sure, though I’m sure some P.h.d. has studied this, somewhere… and I could probably find it on the internet… it’s overwhelming… this sense of being able to find some “legitimate” source to answer any question. Maybe that is a proponent to why older generations prefer not to get involved.
Anyway, your thoughts obviously got me thinking. Cool post!
Heather Howland said,
February 25, 2009 at 1:00 pm
Good interview choices! I especially liked hearing about your grandfather and stepfather. Your last paragraph about businesses operating with and without technology is something I hadn’t thought of, though I wish I would have so I could incorporate more of our reading into my own blog!
You’re absolutely right, though, and your interviews prove that. When thinking of businesses, I automatically think they all use technology in some form or another outside of the telephone. In fact, when I come across a company that does not, I’m usually really irritated and tend to pass that company by. While they don’t *need* things like the internet to flourish, I wonder if your stepfather’s business would improve if he were to add it? That’s something my grandmother mentioned in my interview. She works for a famous painter’s art gallery and until about 5 years ago, they didn’t have a website for their salesroom. My stepfather helped set one up and showed them all how to use it and their sales skyrocketed. She even sells some of the paintings/prints on eBay now. While dryer repair and such is different than selling paintings, I wonder how many people go looking for someone to fix their appliances by browsing websites online? I know I would. And if your stepfather didn’t have at least a single page with his company phone number on it, I wouldn’t find him!
Again, good interviews. They really made me think this morning!