If Uncharted Territory of Social Networking Proves to be Anything Like the F-22....

Chapter Eight of "The Hidden Powers of Social Networking" reminded me of something slightly off topic....

I recently learned about Air Force/Lockhead Martin's plunder with the F-22 Fighter Jet. This jet, was supposed to be the next-generation of air superiority for our military--and at over $350 million per craft, you'd pray that this statement was true!!!! Yeah, well, not so much.

So, the very intelligent folks at Lockhead/Boeing/USAF did not seem to think that the jets would ever cross the International Dateline. They did. And when they did, all the computers in the jet (including navigation) shut down and all communication was lost. Although the Air Force likes to downplay this blunder, six pilots nearly lost thier lives on that day.

I say all of this because it goes to show the humanity behind technology. Often times when we get into uncharted territory and build these grandiose, billion dollar projects that we think are perfect, they are not. Human error is real.

We went from checks, to debit/credit cards, to online banking, to shopping online....All the while, more and more identities were being stolen. When does it stop? When someone who "actually matters" loses their identity. (NOW BEFORE YOU GUYS GO JUMPING DOWN MY THROAT, I'M JUST POSING A QUESTION....FOOD FOR THOUGHT IF YOU WILL). I think privacy/security and technology(all kinds--from online banking to social networking) often find themselves at odds.

I think Cross and Parker's analysis of "Ethical Considerations" in chapter eight might be the most important of all of the sub-texts. Technology is a very powerful tool. It can be used to help AND it can be used to harm. Often times, like in the case of the F-22, we do not even realized the changes that can come about with the advent of new technology. We need to be very aware of the future impact technology may have on our lives.