Computing and our relationship to work

Abstract

Surveys of public attitudes toward computers suggest that, for most people, most of the time, the machines are not seen as having great importance in their lines. Yet there are developments occurring which may produce profound effects with important social consequences. It is now recognized that the automobile allowed and accelerated the development of specialized institutions, and changed residential patterns which, in turn, changed the nature and function of the family. An examination of the history of the automobile reveals that these important but indirect effects were not even hinted at (Flink, 1970). It is now time to see if it is possible to understand and anticipate the potential human impact of computation.