A front page story in the New York Times today about the enduring popularity of fax machines in Japan raises some interesting questions:
- What is the relationship between technological change and social attitudes?
- The reasons why some people to opt out of moving on to the next technology wonder are usually defensible. Can you think of other examples where a seemingly outdated technology has endured and why that might be the case?
Sources
Fackler, Martin. “In Japan, the Fax Machine Rolls On.” New York Times. New York Times, 14 Feb. 2013. Web. 14 Feb. 2013.
I can see why in Japan they love the fax machines, its an integral part of their culture and society. Some people just prefer paper over a monitor. Its similar to the kindle and the hardcover book, some readers prefer holding and reading a physical book, rather than using the kindle. Its like the kindle is the middle man between us and the story and it lessens our enjoyment of the book (we want direct confrontation, direct stimuli). The Japanese do make a very valid point in that the world of fax machines helps us prevent data from being hacked, or sniffed during the time of transfer. On the internet a “sniffer” is something that could potentially grab data while in transit, it could be anywhere from Social Security #s to telephone numbers. With fax machines, it is very difficult to do something like this (if not impossible).