Jay Cross is working on a research paper, which if it turns into a book, he will name it INATT (it’s not about the technology).
- Blogging isn’t about the technology, it’s about easily publishing your thoughts and allowing others to join in and add to them.
- Wikis aren’t about the technology, they’re an easy way for everyone to write, edit and comment on the same space and not worry about operating systems or word processor document formats.
- RSS isn’t about the technology, it’s about having one place to watch the multi-person, multi-channel, multi-perspective Web universe.
- Podcasts aren’t about the technology, they’re a way to share your voice and let others listen on their own terms and on their own time.
- Multi-player roleplay games aren’t about the technology, they’re about immersing yourself in another world and learning things you might not in real life.
Many people cannot use these practical tools in school or at work. If it’s not about the technology, why are we letting IT departments decide what’s best for us?
Good point! Who died and put the techies in charge anyway?
Many of us liberal arts graduates put the techies in charge because we were above all that geeky stuff.
There’s a good article on this topic by Andrew McAfee here:
http://blog.hbs.edu/faculty/amcafee/index.php/faculty_amcafee_v3/its_not_not_about_the_technology/
Essentially, he seems to be saying: OK, we all agree that INATT. Let’s take this discussion to a more nuanced level. He says:
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve said INATT a million times, and it’s still a new concept to some people – but I think we need to acknowledge that there’s an interplay between what is and isn’t about the technology. (Makes a nice book title, though!)
You could also say INATT and in the same breath say that it’s all about the technology. My underlying thought is that it’s the effects, influences and unseen elements of the technology that the generalist has to understand, because the technology is so pervasive. The non-IT person can no longer ignore our technological surround. Perhaps I should have written, “it’s not about the technologists”.