Personal Productivity and IT: The Never-Ending Love-Hate Relationship

by Gabriele Piccoli

Humans have always had a love-hate relationship with technology in general and IT in particular. A testament to this troubled relationship is the fact that to this day it is seemingly OK to loudly pronounce: "I don't do computers." Imagine the same person saying: "I don't do reading." The truth is that we don't quite know how to relate to IT. We like the potential that it offers in terms of productivity, research, improved quality of life, more responsive service, and its general association with progress. But at the same time we fear the risks of depersonalization, deskilling, and job loss associated with IT, and we react negatively -- just like modern-day Luddites.