Info technology affects human ties

Info technology affects human ties

By Markus Krisetya

JAKARTA (JP): Being online or connected to the Internet and
the World Wide Web has become very fashionable in Indonesia. A
new crop of Internet providers are now racing to provide
affordable and reliable services to allow more and more of us to
be part of the Information Superhighway. Some of us can now boast
an e-mail address on our business cards and talk about discussion
groups on the Internet. But for the majority of Indonesians, the
only highway they know is the toll road to work.

Such is the case at a client's office. In spite of their very
sophisticated network, they are not yet linked to the Internet.
This however did not deter one person from setting up an
"intranet" or an internal electronic communication system.

Equipped with the existing network, a shared network drive and
a word processor, an electronic discussion forum was established.
The idea caught on like wild fire across the company and in no
time at all everyone was jumping on to check on the latest issues
being discussed and let their own thoughts be known.

Its popularity was so great that the management became
somewhat irate because a large number of employees were spending
too much time on the forum during working hours.

The forum was a success in many ways. At the time, the company
was facing communication problems between the management and its
employees. Because a majority in the management are expatriates,
the added complexity of a language barrier had led to many
communication breakdowns and misunderstandings. The forum allowed
employees to discuss issues in a setting that was less
intimidating than a formal meeting. Because the language of
choice was Indonesian it generated a lot of discussion that would
have been otherwise subdued due to poor knowledge of English
among the staff. The forum also brought together diverse ideas
from all over the company.

But like any other electronic communication media, on the
Internet or elsewhere, the forum was soon plagued by employees
who were oblivious to what is commonly know as Netiquette. The
use of a word processor allowed anyone to deface any message that
was posted. Employees started getting into the habit of "flaming"
-- posting unsavory and derogatory remarks about other
employees. Because of the open access, other employees started
deleting messages they found offensive. Worse, anonymity became
the norm. Those who regularly cruise the Internet will confirm
that these problems are also prevalent on the Net.

There is no doubt that the Internet, electronic mail and
electronic discussion forums are major cornerstones of the
Information Age. With the advent of the Internet many companies
have been able to substantially reduce their telephone bills by
encouraging their employees to use e-mail. Not only can e-mail
reduce costs, but it also provides an excellent form of
documentation that a telephone conversation cannot duplicate. The
use of internal company e-mail has all the benefits of e-mail on
the Internet and it also can cut down on the use of paper for
excessive internal company memos and documents.

Discussion forums allow people of different backgrounds,
social and economic classes, gender and sex to share ideas on a
similar footing where each person's idea gains merit based solely
on the idea itself, not on the background of the person. The
introduction of interactive Web pages have added new dimensions
that makes you giddy to think of all the untapped possibilities.

Unfortunately, in the process, subtle cultural changes that
are occurring have not received their due share of attention
because most of us are lost in the frenetic pace on the
Information Superhighway.

Electronic mail has introduced to us a reliable and efficient
method of communication. For some it has, at the same time,
introduced a new barrier. Some people have found it easier to
"hide" behind e-mail rather than face a person directly.
Similarly, the task of having to face a group of employees is
often replaced by a faceless e-mail with a distribution list, a
definite decline in the effectiveness of interpersonal
communication.

Anonymous electronic messages on bulletins also nurture
irresponsible attitudes. People cannot be held accountable for
their actions. Our own culture, while refined in many areas, is
weak when it comes to objectivity; which is one of the reasons
that the forum where I work is purely anonymous. People fear the
repercussions of their thoughts and actions. A sad testimony to
the state of democratic development in our country. But does this
justify the habit of anonymity?

Another cultural change is apathy. This perhaps is best
explained by the famous acronym NATO: No Action, Talk Only. It is
monumentally easier to complain about a problem and put down
people we don't like than to tackle the problem directly and
solve personal problems face to face.

As the Information Superhighway begins to spread into the
realm of virtual worlds, the prospects of even more deficient
interpersonal and communication skills are frightening. There are
no signposts on the Superhighway to caution us of such problems
or stop signs to let us know when we are going too far. Before we
slip too far into virtual relationships and cyber communication
skills, we should be remind ourselves that we can switch off the
computer, step outside, knock on the door of your neighbor and
talk to him or her face to face.