Example Current Affairs writeups
Steve Sawyer
Fall semester, 1999.
Keller, J. (1999, 10 August), Don't look: Pediatricians go for the jugular, but will the medium
get the message? Chicago Tribune, s.5, p.3.
The article comes from the Chicago Tribune (8/10/99) and highlights the concerns that
pediatricians have with children under two watching television. It is noteworthy because these
are doctors discussing the potentially harmful effects of the television's presence (and not the
content provided). It relates well to our discussion of the information age because of the issues
with the pervasiveness of information and communication technologies (ICTs) and the ongoing
debate of their value.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has announced a policy where it will encourage
pediatricians to urge parents with children under two to completely remove TV from their
worlds. This is not about the content, but the very presence! Findings from cognitive research
on the effects of TV (and other electronic media like video games) is quite limited. This is
especially the case with small children. The general consensus of the 55,000 members of the
APA is, better to remove than expose small children to TV.
The relationship between TV and the information age is inescapable. It is large scale, pervasive,
and quite powerful. It is also becoming more integrated with other forms of ICT (as the various
computing and communication industries/media converge). This article highlights how diverse
are the contributors to the debates on ICT in our world. The article also intimates how broad
reaching ICT use is in our society. Further, the debate is not about information (content) but
about distribution (access to the TV).
I am fascinated by both the policy statement and the implications of such. As a parent of two
young children, this announcement concerns me. As an IT professional, this gives me pause to
reflect. That is, does using ICT actually make things better OR do I just believe that it will? As
an academic teaching about the potential of ICT, the ways to build information systems
composed of ICT and a user of these, it seems critical to bring these issues to the center of the
debate.
Steve Sawyer, IST110
sawyer@ist.psu.edu
August 24, 1999
Wildstrom, S. (1999, 30 August), Untangle these 'websites', please: Problems and rules for
business 'websites'. Business Week, p. 3.
The article comes from the Business Week (8/30/99) and highlights how poorly designed
corporate 'websites' impede use. The poor designs frustrate use and minimize the potential value
of having internet access to service/products. This is evidence that electronic commerce models
are not yet very sophisticated.
The article presents an argument that most current 'websites' are poorly designed to service their
customers. The author presents the argument by reviewing a series of 'websites' with which he is
familiar. He points to over-designed sites with too many graphics, poor navigation structures that
require 'drill downs' into the website and poor searching tools that limit the ability of users to
find information.
Part of the emergence of the 'Information Age' is the internet and the world wide web (WWW).
However, there are many issues regarding actual use (not potential) of accessing the WWW.
Further, most 'websites' are actually sophisticated blends of software and content. The rather
simple software behind the 'websites' is becoming more sophisticated. However, this technical
maturity is occurring much more slowly than is the explosion of content! So, there is still more
information than there are means to access that information.
AI find the limited understanding of how to build commercially viable (useable) 'websites' to
reflect on the rather limited knowledge we have of the emerging forms of electronic commerce.
The issues with site design and tools to support searching also highlight technical opportunities
to make better systems (ones that users can use). At a broader level, the simple movement of
traditional concepts of commerce on to the web reflect a very reassuring sense that we people
reach the future by extending from what we know. That is, radical chance is often many
incremental changes all packed together. This makes me comfortable knowing that social
structures help both keep us together and set up a means to reach for new futures.
Steve Sawyer, IST110
sawyer@ist.psu.edu
August 24, 1999