Evangelicals And The Ethics Of Information Technology -- By: Kenneth W. M. Wozniak

Journal: Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society
Volume: JETS 28:3 (Sep 1985)
Article: Evangelicals And The Ethics Of Information Technology
Author: Kenneth W. M. Wozniak


Evangelicals And The Ethics Of Information Technology

Kenneth W. M. Wozniak*

The set of problems addressed in this paper is that of the moral challenge born of what I term the “society of information.” Since the term “society of information” can be a nebulous one, perhaps the best place to begin is with a descriptive definition.

The information society has been characterized by John Naisbitt as a society in which information is the strategic resource. This is seen in contradistinction to the industrial society, where the strategic resource is money. Naisbitt argues that “we now mass-produce information the way we used to mass-produce cars.” This focus of effort takes most of the time and energy of most Americans, including attorneys, teachers, technical people, medical workers, newspaper reporters, and even clergy. In short, “the creation, processing, and distribution of information is the job.”1

Naisbitt is not the only one warning of major fundamental social changes. Simon Ramo, co-founder and director of TRW, recently spoke of the changes that the information deluge will bring. Understanding information as the driving force behind human activity, Ramo predicted that “all pursuits of our civilization—production, transportation, finance, research, education, government—will be engaged in reorganizing, since key to all is information flow.”2 As a telecommunications professional in the field of banking I observe on a daily basis the truth of Ramo’s prediction. Banking procedures, from the persepctives of both the bank and the customer, are being revolutionized by the reality of rapid information transmission. For example, a cash withdrawal is no longer understood as a process that involves interaction between an account holder and a teller at a bank office but rather as one that necessitates a plastic card, a computer terminal, and the punching of a few keys at any of several thousand ATM locations across the country, not necessarily at bank locations. That change in our everyday experience is a direct outgrowth of society’s preoccupation with the importance of information. It also reflects the value we place upon rapidly advancing technology, particularly computer technology.

Douglas Johnson sees that professional success or failure is based on the degree to which one can gain and use information. In short, “the unsuccessful

*Kenneth Wozniak is vice president and telecommunications planning manager at City National Bank in Los Angeles, California.

will have little money and not be either able...

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