The class itself has me curious about the different research methods in the field of Informatics. The blog style is definitely new to me and will take a bit of getting used to. I am interested in finding out how technology has changed people’s lives in the workplace along with some of the drawbacks of technology.
The topic I am interested in researching is how automation has impacted the workplace. Automation has replaced some manual tasks done by human hands or that required human interaction. A machine can perform tedious tasks much more efficiently than a human, and it also reduces the chances of error. Many companies have been replacing workers with machines that are able to work around the clock and for extended periods of time. An example of this would be the robots at Amazon, where they are responsible for moving items back and forth to different locations. It eliminates the need for workers to lift items and move them, but as a result that means they no longer need workers to perform that task. On one hand, it reduces the chance of error, but on the other side it also results in someone being out of a job.
Automation has potential benefits along with some unfavorable outcomes for employees who have performed certain tasks previously. It would be interesting to dive more into how people are reacting to newer technologies in the workplace and how some are adapting to work alongside technology.
A name I would suggest for my group would be the Techno-Bytes. I noticed some of my other group members have posted their group names, but we appear to be tied between two names. The two names are Mind Over Data (MOD) and MINNK. I voted for MOD, because of how the abbreviation appears along with the fact that it plays off the phrase “Mind over Matter”.
Automation is an interesting problem that society will come to face in the current generation of technology. Jobs being so well done that eventually nobody will be required to do them besides maintenance on the machines themselves is a strange conflict.
I wonder if this is how horses felt in the early 1900’s when cars and trains began to replace them as the most common form of transportation.
Automation is an exciting topic choice. Its demand is increasing and vastly changing our society. I am curious how the future will look with automation involved to an even higher degree.
As our society adopts more and more automation we have to wrestle with the idea that people will have to adapt to new employment, and those that must adapt are the ones least likely to do so. Perhaps a way to do so would be to train the current workers on the job to service the machines that will one day do their work, getting them ready for a transition to a mechanics job? I’m excited to see how you tackle this idea!
As for our team name, we seem split, but I’m fine with things either way.