Not so long ago, most humans used schedules to determine how events would unfold. Humans were the change agents, and they remained in control of their own schedules.

It's a little different with computers, according to social commentator, Jeremy Rifkin in his book, Time Wars. He points out that computers not only plan out the schedules, but actually execute the future as well. Today's computers and their programs can actually instruct machinery how and when to produce products and deliver services.

Here is Rifkin's caution about this trend:

"By effectively programming more and more of the activities of society, those in power will be able to increasingly separate citizens from personal involvement in the decisions that affect their lives. Computer programs introduce a new level of determinism into the social process. By automating the unfolding of future events, computer programs leave the individual a passive victim, forced to live within the narrow confines of preprogrammed scenarios laid out for him."

While Rifkin is not painting a "the world is doomed" scenario, he does point out that the way that computers handle time means that they are shaping the way we thinking about time.

Time itself is no longer pieces of time, as in hours, minutes, or seconds. Time is simply information, and it creates time based on the specific computer program that is running. Time has become multiple. Computer time creates its own context and is not dependent upon the clock.

Here is Rifkin's conclusion:  "Computer time, then is a mathematical abstraction that attempts to separate us from the pulls and periodicities of the natural world."

Every person who has sat engaged with his or her computer knows this at a feeling level. Probably few activities are so engrossing as to work at a computer. It is possible for hours to go by and not to notice any of the "periodicities of the natural world."

Perhaps we need a computer to remind us of them!
 

Janelle Barlow, President
TMI, US
 
 
 

Please submit your questions to Time Manager Questions and Answers. If you have questions, undoubtedly someone else has the same question. By asking a question, you'll help a fellow Time Manager user become more effective.
 
 

Previous "Time Manager Q & A Corner" pages: 
 

#1	Key Areas and Interruptions
#2	Daily Plans and Home Offices
#3	Result Statements
#4	Reading and Responding to E-Mail
#5	Sending E-Mail
#6	Filing According to Key Areas
#7	Setting up Files for the Whole Office
#8	Controlling Loose Pieces of Paper
#9	The Value of Time
#10	More on Results Statements
#11	Managing Time on the Road
#12	How to Get Time with Someone
#13	The Downside of Goals
#14	Thinking Types and Time
#15	Feeling Types and Time
#16	Intuitive Types and Time
#17	Sensate Types and Time
#18	What's Real about Strategic Planning?
#19	What Does Being Strategic Really Mean?
#20	How Perception of Time Influences Goal Choices
#21	The Four Immutable Laws of Controlling Your Desk
#22	Decision Making and Cultural Groups
#23	Paperless Office: Fact or Fiction?
#24	Exit Planning
#25	Speed: Does It Free Up More Time?
#26	Time in the 21st Century
#27	Open Office Plans
#28	The Costs of E-Mail
#29	How Do Senior Level People Manage Their Time?
#30	On Saving Time
#31	Paying the Ultimate Price with Time By Not Getting Enough Sleep
#32	Telecommuting and Productivity
#33	How Much Is Your Time Worth?
#34	Goal Setting and Change
#35	Making Career Decisions
#36	Controlling the Volume of Paper
#37	The Soul Catcher and Time Management
#38	Goals and Team Work
#39	Negotiate Better Goals for Yourself!
#40	Efficiency: A Plague or a Blessing?

Please submit your questions to Time Manager Questions and Answers by fax or e-mail . If you have questions, undoubtedly someone else has the same question. By asking a question, you'll help a fellow Time Manager user become more effective.

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