NEGATIVE - CRITIQUE OF TECHNOLOGY — INTERNET 167

A DISASTER FOR WORKERS AND THE ECONOMY

THE NEW INFORMATION ECONOMY IS A DISASTER FOR WORKERS

Paul Van Slambrouck, Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor, The Christian Science Monitor, December 28, 1999, SECTION: USA; THE LONGER VIEW; Pg. 2 TITLE: In world of high tech, everyone is an island // acs-EE2001

One of the most pervasive impacts of technology is in the workplace. And there, union activists are worried the technology industry itself is not a particularly worker-friendly place. Turnover is high, guaranteed benefits few, and the hours long, say critics. A recent article by Canadian feminist Ellen Balka bemoaned women's embrace of technology as a tool of activism, "rather than asking questions about how much technology we want in our lives, and how we want both our personal and work lives organized in relation to new technologies."

E-COMMERCE WILL RUIN BUSINESSES IN SMALL COMMUNITIES

Paul Van Slambrouck, Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor, The Christian Science Monitor, December 28, 1999, SECTION: USA; THE LONGER VIEW; Pg. 2 TITLE: In world of high tech, everyone is an island // acs-EE2001

Of course computer technology and the Internet have woven themselves into the cultural fabric well beyond education. The way people communicate, entertain, shop, and conduct business is increasingly done across computer networks. The Loka Institute, which is located in Amherst, Mass., is dedicated to greater public involvement in technology decisions and is generally skeptical of promised benefitsto society as a whole. One of Loka's main worries is what happens to small communities when commerce moves online, leaving them with shrinking business communities and economic bases.