Computers and Control in the Work Environment

Abstract

The computer has become the essential symbol and perhaps the crucial driving force of post-industrial society. Despite the centrality of the computer, there is continuing disagreement regarding the overall impact of computers on social and personal life. On the one hand, the computer is presented as a technology whose protean applications will create an increasingly dehumanized and technocratic world. On the other hand, computer technology is credited with the capacity to produce goods and services with great efficiency and rationality, facilitating a life of abundance and leisure.