How The Internet Killed Technology
I’ve been working in information technology for about 7 years when I decided I need to go to university to get my bachelor degree. My friends were somewhat surprised that I decided to quit my ‘great’ job - good salary, benefits, company car, flying all over the world. Why would I want to quit my job? They were even more shocked when I told them I was going to study chemistry.It was at the peak of the Biotechnology trend, about 7 years ago, and I tough I could change the world.
The first class we have, the dean of the chemistry faculty walks in and says ‘the B.A. you will earn here is worthless’. By the end of my first year I decided I like traveling abroad on company expanse better than dreams on re-engineering the human race. I completed a B.A. in Information Systems Management, and went back to a comfortable, yet useless job in IT.
My last post tried to convince you that the technology revolution, the one that brought us electricity, cars and medicine, is in a coma. And I claim now that we need to blame the Internet for that. Why?
It all started in the early 90’s. Suddenly, people were making ridicules money writing code. That’s so easy - you sit in a room in front of a screen, type something on a keyboard, and a year later your filthy rich. We all read the stories about the guy next door who made a gazillion $$$ on his stock options (two strongly recommended books: Forbes Greatest Technology Stories and Founders At Work). Before you know it, all the talents of these world, the bright,fresh minds who could have made a real difference, they all go to work for Google. They used to work for IBM, then for Microsoft, now it’s Google.
I know these guys, some are close friends. Bright, fresh minds. Their logic is as strong as a computer, numerical heads. Super-mathematicians, they could build mathematical models of this world and find elusive backdoors that could solve some genuine problems, but instead, they want to build the next Twitter.
The next Einstein is wasting his time developing a new Google beta program when he should be building a spaceship. The next Tesla is working on a chip for a home entertainment unit instead of designing a teleporter. And worse of all, the next Pasteur is working for a for an anti-aging startup instead of researching a cure for cancer.
The solution - government cash, corporate brain power, Academia knowledge. The next Einstein can still drive his company car, eat his chef foods and call himself a Googler. Instead of spending time on the next feature of yet another beta web service he’ll be working on the next feature of a time machine. He’ll sit together with a physics professor, who’s role is to take very large problems (time travel? efficient solar technology?) and break it to small, digestible pieces. The professor will also provide guidance and tools for our Googler, who’ll have an atomic problem to solve. Take all these atoms together, you’ll have a molecule, then an organism, an organic solution to problems that lead to quantum leaps.
I honestly believe that what is required for the next leaps in technology is nothing more than creative thinking by the right minds - technology’s greatest breakthrough were mostly analytical (e.g. occurred in the minds of people and not in lab experiments).
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This is an interesting POV, it’s certainly one I haven’t seen before.
I have to disagree though.. the fact that some smart people are getting involved in web startups doesn’t mean all are - in face, it’s probably a very small fraction. It’s not like Physics, Engineering and Chemistry postgrad courses have been reduced to a tiny trickly of applicants with all science graduates heading for Google.
In fact, there’s multiple reasons why the internet is helping technology: it provides information and contacts for people in developing countries - any kid with an internet connection can watch MIT lectures. E-mail, message boards and wikis make it easier for scientists and inventors to colloborate across borders.
nice article.. i would have to agree somehow.. internet really kill people creativity.. when people trying to generate a new idea, just making a few click, they’ll notice that other people already make it through.. history have shown that different scientist came up with similar ideas, but with different concept.. and the best simply win.. that’s how it should be..
but, nowadays, internet really kill people enthusiasm for science.. they feel like everything have been dug out.. there’s nothing for them to look for anymore.. just when they think of something new, they google for it.. and there you go.. wikipedia make the thinking for you.. sigh
p/s: pardon my grammar.. english is not my main language