Inappropriate Use of Technology
Technology is awesome! It allows us to do many amazing things. But sometimes technology can be used "inappropriately." What I mean by that is when the "cost" of the technology is greater than the benefit that it brings. There are many examples of this but this is one of the simplest and readily recognizable ones. Motion sensitive paper towel dispensers.
Really?!
What is the old way? You pull a paper towel and a new one appears. It uses the energy from you pulling to get the next towel ready.
What do these ones do. First you wave your hand (maybe several times if you don't do it right), then you pull a paper towel.
We took something that took one step and didn't use any energy and turned it into two steps that requires electricity!!
The only possible benefit I can see is that sometimes when a paper towel wouldn't come out you had to twist the little knob on the side to reload the next paper towel.
So what is the cost of the new technology (that the old technology didn't have)?
Time (you have two steps instead of one)
Electricity
What is the benifit?
It eliminates having to turn the little knob thing on the side.
So is it worth it?
Is it an appropriate use of technology?
You be the judge.
I know this is a silly example but I hope it illustrates my point. Whenever you are thinking about improving something or using a different tool, be sure to ask yourself: "Is this an appropriate use of technology? Am I being a motion sensitive paper towel dispenser?"
Just because something is new, doesn't mean that it is better.
Am I missing something? Is there any reason we should use these towel dispensers?
What are some other examples of inappropriate use of technology?
There are literally millions of inappropriate uses of technology, spanning....well, everything!
My pet peeve is the fake "gas log" fireplaces, but I won't get into it all...
haha, that's a good one! Though it could be argued that the "benefit" of having it like a decoration is worth the cost to some people. Not to me!
The waste in the example provided is mainly in the man-hours to design and perfect the "motion" sensing for the paper towel dispenser.
It's relatively easy, and cheap. It probably costs about the same as one with a handle, or that you have to pull the towel, and probably not expensive to run. Maybe a few cents per month. It did cost a lot to invent though.
I think for that case, it's mainly about taste. You buy the one you like. Plugging in a paper towel machine seems annoying if there's no plug nearby, but I also hate when you pull a towel and it breaks.
There are plenty of cases of over-engineering in the world though.
Great points, you easily see through my over simplified example.
You can say that again! A lot of things seem like a solution looking for a problem. "let's see, who could we sell a motion sensor to... how about the paper towel dispenser industry!"
I think we should find a problem and look for the best solution. If it ain't broke (or not optimized) don't fix it (or force an optimization).
I agree with you.
Although there's been a lot of arguments recently in business to make shit that breaks. It's a lot easier to just make crap and sell a new one every few years.
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