A Rant about “Technology” (Ursula K. Le Guin):
“Technology” and “hi tech” are not synonymous […] As if linen were the same thing as flax — as if paper, ink, wheels, knives, clocks, chairs, aspirin pills, were natural objects, born with us like our teeth and fingers — as if steel saucepans with copper bottoms and fleece vests spun from recycled glass grew on trees, and we just picked them when they were ripe...
When I read this for the first time, it deeply resonated with me, and I’m a “tech worker.”
I am employed to create more technology. The assumption is that increasing the amount of technology implicitly solves problems. As if more technology is always better.
I disagree (as you could tell by my tone of writing). Some solutions aren’t made by creating more technology. Solutions do not need to be “hi tech.”
- Plain old text editors are fine
- MS Excel can be fine instead of a custom-built solution
- …
This article has made me wonder about the term “tech worker” and whether I want to keep on labeling myself as such.