Recitation 4: Pros and Cons of Technologies

Preparation

First, read pages 21 to 32 from Chapter 2 of Blown to Bits. Of course, you are also welcome to read the whole chapter!

Next, you should research a technology of your choice. Ideally, you should choose a technology that has an impact on society. You should fill in the template shown below, describing benefits and drawbacks of the technology. Describe at least one social impact of the technology (e.g., privacy concerns, negative effects on certain people, etc.). Choose a technology that wasn’t mentioned in the reading.

Template

• Name of the technology
• Links to at least two articles describing the technology
  • Ideally, these articles should give an overview of the technology, and illustrate some of the technology’s benefits and drawbacks
  • Read these articles carefully, so you are prepared to discuss them at recitation!
• List of benefits of the technology
• List of drawbacks of the technology
• List of ways to maximize the technology’s benefits, while minimizing its drawbacks

Example

• Name of the technology: highway transponder systems (e.g., E-ZPass)
• Links to at least two articles describing the technology:
  • ACLU: Newly Obtained Records Reveal Extensive Monitoring of E-ZPass Tags Throughout New York
  • NPR: Lawmaker Wants To Shield Your I-Pass Movements From Divorce Attorneys
• List of benefits of the technology:
  • Replacing tollboths saves drivers time.
  • Replacing tollbooths is also more environmentally friendly, since stopping then starting your car takes a lot of energy.
• List of drawbacks of the technology:
  • The transponder system keeps a record of where you drive. This has the potential to be used against you in unexpected ways (e.g., divorce proceedings).
  • Eliminating tollbooths also eliminates the jobs of the tollbooth workers. However, there are health hazards associated with working in a tollbooth, so it is debatable whether it’s good or bad to eliminate these jobs.
  • The upfront cost of buying a transponder may be prohibitive for low-income people. If higher tolls are sent to those without transponders, this has the effect of charging low-income people more.
• List of ways to maximize the technology’s benefits, while minimizing its drawbacks:
  • At minimum, there should be a well-defined process to manage access to transponder data. Society needs to be aware of this, and needs to decide what should be the limits on access to the data. For example, how long should the data be kept? Who should have access to the data? Obviously, you wouldn’t want the data to be public, or stalkers could use it.
  • For the workers displaced by the technology, some kind of compensation and/or retraining should be provided.
  • Transponders should be provided for free to low-income people.

At Recitation

Each student will talk about the technology they researched.

• First, they will give the name of the technology, and describe it in a few sentences
• Next, they will share the titles of the articles they read about the technology (e.g., write them on the board, show them on their laptop, etc.).
  • Other students will have five minutes to read those articles.
  • At the end of five minutes, students should be called on to summarize each article.
• Next, the original student will describe the benefits, drawbacks, and ways to minimize the drawbacks, giving other students the opportunity to add their thoughts.

Submit

Upload a PDF to Moodle containing:

• The filled-in template for the technology you researched
• If you attended recitation:
  • Give the date of the recitation section you attended
• If you did not attend recitation:
  • In your filled-in template, along with links to articles about your technology, also summarize those articles in a few sentences