In the web lecture, the topic of workplace surveillance is discussed. It is an example of organizations as instruments of domination. There are many communication technologies commonly used in the workplace (Instant Messaging, Chat rooms, Webcams, web conferencing, etc) that may monitor an employee's activities. It is even said that critical theorists argues that such surveillance is intrusive and stressful.
However, I would also offer the notion that such technologies can actually aid in communication and collaboration. True, there is still the great possibility that management can use these tools to track how we spend our time, but these tools also provide opportunities to work with our colleagues in other locations across the world. Global teams are becoming more commonplace on our projects and it's become critical to use such tools to work through the daily tasks. We've built up a sense of trust among each other that the main purpose of using these technologies is to better work together, not to intrude and dominate our activities.
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16 years ago
2 comments:
I completely agree with you in the positive light of technological instruments of domination. I think that as long as they are used in the appropriate manner they are very beneficial to communication and often times helpful and time efficient. With PDA phones such as blackberry's and the iphone we are able to conduct business from around the world. Phone conferences are able to be held. Immediate email access is right in the palm of ones hand, and text messaging is a quick and efficient way to get a message across when one might not be able to talk.
It is hard to disagree with your feelings that the same technology that can be used and abused in employee surveillance is also the one that brings us closer together with people across the world whether at work or play. Technology has a dark side though, especially when it comes to communication.
As we grow more accustomed to the various ways we can avoid directly communicating with other human beings we come to rely on processes of communication that runs through a third party or middle man before reaching its ultimate destination. Anything can be done with that information as it makes its way from sender to receiver. The opportunities for surveillance during this process are many as evidenced by the battle over telecom immunity after several large players in the telecommunications industry turned over the cellular telephone and text records of American citizens to the Bush Administration without a legal court order obligating them to do so. We must take due care in protecting the privacy of communication as we continue to rend a greater percentage of it subject to third party interference.
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