Summary
Task: Based on your exploration, try to summarise in 400 words what you know and think about the influence of technology on society in general and specifically on organisations. What are some of the main points organisations have to consider that they may not have had to consider in the past?
OLJ Task 2: The influence of technology on society
In a nutshell, technology has shifted the way that we live, work, and play and given its ongoing evolution, it will continue to do so into the future. As a member of Generation X, I have grown up alongside technology as it has advanced and been fortunate to learn it along the way. I have experienced both the analogue and digital worlds – for example, as a young child I listened to music played on vinyl records, as a teenager I owned a Walkman, followed by a Discman, and moved into digital technologies with an early generation iPod in the mid-2000s and got my first iPhone in 2008. Unlike previous generations who experienced the rapid changes in technology later in life or younger generations who have been born digital, I have seen the shift that technology has had and continues to have on society.
The influence of technology, specifically digital technologies, has led to an era when owning a personal mobile phone, and more likely a smartphone, is standard fare and almost a requirement to function in society these days as they are so much more than just a phone. Children these days, like my seven-year-old, are unsure how to make a phone call where they can’t see the person at the other end of the line due to the prominence video calling technologies which are standard nowadays. Mobile technologies, or ‘m-techs’ are, as Obinyan (2020, p. 374) points out, ‘recognized as the single most embraced technology in the world’. Given this, the impact for organisations is that you are not online, you are missing out on attracting, engaging with, and retaining users. Organisations nowadays need to exist online, with a website that is mobile friendly and beyond simply existing online, organisations need to have a social media presence. Moreover, organisations need to seek to understand their user preferences, as the choices are plentiful and there are clear favorites. According to the Digital 2021 Report (We Are Social, 2021), the top three social media apps used in 2002 were Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram but when the next report comes out this may no longer be the case. Evolving and changing iteratively is key to the success of organisations as remaining static when it comes to technology will simply leave them behind their counterparts. Other considerations for organisations include providing free Wi-Fi to their users, ensuring they have cashless payment options and creating staff training opportunities around digital literacy to allow them to feel confident in their tech skills so that they can engage and support users in their organisations.
Word count – 428
REFERENCES
Lastovich, Taylor. (n.d). Turned on black iPhone 7 displaying hello [Photograph]. Pexels. https://www.pexels.com/photo/turned-on-black-iphone-7-displaying-hello-1275929/
Obinyan, O. O. (2020). Application of mobile technologies in library service delivery. In A. Tella (Ed.), Handbook of research on digital devices for inclusivity and engagement in libraries (pp. 371-381). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-9034-7.ch019
We Are Social. (2021). Digital 2021. https://wearesocial.com/uk/blog/2021/01/digital-2021-uk/?mc_cid=ed509b472e&mc_eid=632bbf90f7
The social analytics are essential for organisations to understand their key target audiences. I see the benefits of being connected and the ease of engaging with services online. I was reading Digital NSW’s strategy when writing the strategic plan at work that the federal government is moving businesses to go virtual, removing cheques by 2025, and ATO and Service NSW conversing online with businesses and customers. The world is moving that way. The only concern is that the management of data, I mean the digital footprint is created before a child is even born.
Fellow Gen X here!
I had the same experience growing up. I occasionally play vinyl records alongside my iTunes and iHeart Radio streamed from my iPhone. We are the last generation to have grown up experiencing an analogue childhood and are now embracing the rapidly changing technology that permeates every part of our lives! I enjoy some anonymity online; I have a Facebook account, amongst others, but I do not have a visible profile or a long list of ‘friends’. This is somewhat controllable for a person, but the organisations we work for cannot afford to take the same approach. Organisations need to have an online presence to stay relevant and profitable! Social media is vital to connect people to products and information, with influencers often doing promotions to gain a wider audience reach. Organisations need to be receptive to user preferences, or they will keep scrolling. Only time will tell how technology will influence the younger generations in work and play.
This blog post succinctly captures the transformative journey of technology through the lens of a Generation X member, providing a valuable perspective on the evolution from analogue to digital experiences. Your personal narrative beautifully illustrates the profound impact technology has had on daily life, seamlessly transitioning from vinyl records to smartphones. The observation about children today being more accustomed to video calling than traditional phone calls highlights the profound shift in communication norms.
The emphasis on the indispensability of online existence for organisations is aptly articulated. The recognition of mobile technologies as the most embraced worldwide aligns with Obinyan’s assertion, underlining the significance of a mobile-friendly online presence. The acknowledgment that staying relevant in the digital landscape requires not only an online presence but also an active engagement on social media reflects a keen understanding of contemporary user behavior.