It's Simple

In reading through the ACM Code of Ethics and scriptures like Matthew 23 I came to the realization that the question of how we can act ethically has a simple answer.  There are many specific things that can define ethical behavior but when it comes down to it ethical behavior is simply being aware of others and being honest.  When we as employees and employers do what we said we'd do, say what should be said, and think about the broader impact of our work on the lives of all around us (including ourselves and our families) then we will be sure to act ethically.  When we lose sight of the broader framework of what we are doing we then start to act unethically.  This shortsightedness blinds us to the possible effects of our behavior on others and ourselves.  All we must do, then, to be ethical is to keep in our minds that we do not live in isolation and do what we know is right.

Responsibility

As members of the technology industry we enable society.  There is great power in our hands to impact the lives of others for better or for worse.  With this kind of power we have a moral obligation to do more than collect a paycheck. We need to find something meaningful to be passionate about so that we can create something of quality.  Although the user’s agency ultimately determines the impact of software, what technology we create and why we create it can guide the User.  The things we create will shape the lives of those who use them so we have a tremendous responsibility to create and maintain technology that edifies and uplifts.  Stepping up to the plate and wholly fulfilling this responsibility will allow us to impact other people’s lives for good and maybe even change the world.  So, what will we do with the power we hold when we get to the workforce?  Will we put our efforts into those things that are uplifting or distracting? How are we going to enrich the lives of others?

We Don't Live in a Bubble

There have been many things shared by LDS speakers concerning the importance of controlling our use of digital services such as social networking and gaming.  Through all of these tips, suggestions, and teachings I feel that it is most important to remember that we are not isolated.  Often, as we use technology, we have the tendency to feel that our actions only affect ourselves and that they only affect us in that moment.  However this isolation of time and relationships is a lie.  The choices we make right now affect our future and those around us.  Someone who engages in pornography or an excessive use of any technology brings upon themselves the consequences of these actions.  These consequences can manifest themselves in a warped self-image and relationships with others.  The risk for these behaviors is not worth any supposed reward.  As we consume what technology has to offer we would be wise to think of how our actions will affect us and others in the future.

We Should Be Initiators, Not Just Participants

In his book, "Here Comes Everybody," Clay Shirky comments that after the initial creation phase, groups or ideas sometimes take off and can change the world.  In his Wikipedia example he explains that one person merely has to stub out an article to get the process going.  Eventually, through minimal efforts of many and the large efforts of a few, the article can then become robust and lengthy.  Shirky goes on to say that a key benefit of technology is the ability to "lower the hurdles to doing something in the first place." (p. 181)  These ideas got me thinking about initiators, people that help others join in just by starting a discussion.  Personally, I know that I am more likely to join a discussion that has already been started than start one myself.  I think that behavior is typical of the average person as well.  Great responsibility then lies with those who start discussions because they enable everyone else to participate.  As I came to this realization I also realized the strong connection it had to the LDS Church's doctrine of agency.  When we contribute to a discussion someone else started we are being acted upon but when we can be the initiator, we are acting and using our agency as it was intended.  If we have something worthwhile to say the chances are there are others who agree with us.  The tools are there to say it and who knows, we may provide the platform for people to join in, participate, accomplish something great, and even change the world.

The Open Source Movement

In learning about the Open Source movement and its goals I have been impressed with the effectiveness of the movement.  The Open Source movement allows ultimate freedom because software can be developed outside of the restrictions of industrial work.  There are trade offs to be made but I think the advantage of having only interested developers working on software is well worth it.  The best work is done by those who actually want to do it and with Open Source, there is an avenue for anyone to work on a quality piece of software that they are actually passionate about.  This empowerment supplied by the Open Source movement has allowed it to produce software that rivals the best products that industrial development can produce and has furthered what the industry can do.  I am all for Open Source and what it can do to free developers and allow them to work at peak capacity.

Something I learned from "The Cuckoo's Egg"

Many people have criticized the government's monitoring and analyzing of email metadata, questioning the authority that the government has to gather the private information contained in this data.  The general idea seems to be that the government was all wrong in its course of action.  Too often critics only criticize without offering any useful ideas of how things could have been done more effectively.  Cliff Stoll was one of these critics but as he worked closely with individuals from various government agencies he realized that their motives and desired outcomes were similar to his.  This led him to abandon many of his criticisms and work towards a common solution.  Similarly, I think if those criticizing the NSA and other government agencies focused more on the common goal of national safety they could move past useless criticisms and instead contribute to a greater dialog of reforming current data mining practices. It is more productive for all people to collaborate and build a better system than to merely criticize the current system.  Recognizing the similar motives and desired outcomes of those in government agencies is the critical first step in that collaboration process.

Going Back to go Forward

There are many times when the past holds answers to our problems.  A small example of this is researchers using hair animation software to analyze the behavior of cables.  When confronted with a problem there is often pressure to come up with a brand new solution.  The struggle to find that solution can be very frustrating when it yields no usable results.  At times this frustration can be alleviated by looking at what has already been discovered.  It is surprising how many times a problem that has already been solved is very similar to ours.  Many times we have to look at solutions outside of our current discipline that can be applied to the problem at hand.  In order to truly find answers we may have to think more critically than creatively, not using creativity to come up with a new solution but to analyze old and seemingly unrelated solutions that apply to our problems.

It's all connected

The LDS church has a great appreciation for technology and has taken full advantage of it.  In the Church technology can impact eternity in its ability to aid in family history work, missionary work, and providing resources to families and individuals in their efforts to learn about the Gospel.  I don't think we truly realize the spiritual impact technology has on our lives.  Whether enabling us to find deceased persons that can benefit from the ordinances of the Gospel or just burning time on the internet, our use of technology has eternal significance.  Technology has ruined the lives of some and can interfere in our relationships with others.  Those addicted to pornography grapple with the ease of access technology provides and also teeter on the brink of spiritual bankruptcy.  Even something as simple as surfing the internet can take time away from those things that matter most.  Thinking of technology like this prompts me to consider how I use it and what I am getting out of it spiritually.

Think for yourself!

We live in a world permeated with computers that help us think, make decisions, and solve problems.  We can't always trust computers though.  For example, Terry Wells ran into a virus that could have cost her $200 if she had trusted what the computer was telling her.  Admittedly, blatant and obvious hacking schemes are easy to ward off but I fear that we are letting computers do too much of our thinking.  Are we taking everything we read as the truth or are we engaging it and thinking critically?  With so much information available it is easy to lose our critical thinking abilities.  If we allow information to come into our brain unchallenged we are opening ourselves up to misdirection and empty minds.  Sometimes we need to take a minute to process what we're consuming to see if it's worthwhile or even correct.  Step away from the computer every now and again and think for yourself.  Don't worry, your PC won't be offended.

Is this post even high quality?

Quality of information is always better than quantity.  In an article discussing technology's future impact on education the claim is made that a high quality of information shared between an educational team will make the biggest impact on the learning experience.  When we are able to share quality information we are then able to communicate effectively.  However, sharing quality information can be a difficult task.  Quality demands time and time is a precious commodity.  We live in a world of instant communication where speed is paramount.  Through texts and comments we leave shortened messages in an effort to communicate yet limit ourselves to trite abbreviations.  We are so obsessed with time that even the phrase "OK" must be shortened to merely "k."  When we put just a few more seconds of thought into what we share real communication can begin.  Take time for quality.

What is the R-Word?

I've been following the ongoing debate concerning the Washington Redskins changing their name.  In reading this article commenting on Commissioner Goodell's defense of the name and this accompanying article citing support for the Redskin name I thought of the varying orders of ignorance.  This situation shows what I feel is an ignorance towards an important issue for many Native Americans. People do not even know that they are being offensive (they don't know what they don't know) when using and supporting the term "redskin" and at the very least don't feel that's it's a big deal to use it.  Somehow ignorance still reigns supreme when it comes to this and other racially insensitive references to Native Americans.  Some claim this issue as another example of American over-sensitivity when in reality it is an example of the continued oppression of the Native voice.

You Don't Need a Bigger Truck

Dallin H. Oaks, in a talk entitled "Focus and Priorities," uses a story about two men selling watermelons to caution us that having more information available is not always a good thing.  His remarks got me thinking that the wealth of information today has actually made us less educated than before.  I consider education as the process of internalizing information and skills in such a way that they can easily be recalled and used in the future.  With that definition in mind it seems obvious to me that many people are less educated than before the so-called "age of information."  Rarely does anyone really internalize information anymore preferring instead to look it up once, use it, forget it, and then repeat the cycle again when needed.  In my opinion, that is not becoming more educated and yet so many people convince themselves that they are smarter because of it.

A New Topic

This semester I'm taking a course entitled "Ethics in Computer Science" so that's pretty exciting.  So far I've really enjoyed the things that have been shared and the discussions in class.  As part of that I'll be required to write blog posts occasionally so if there are random-ish posts about a reading or something that seemed a little more structured than my normal ramblings, they will probably be tagged with "CS404."  I'm excited about that because I've wanted to write more on here anyways.  Should be fun!