INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SYMPOSIUM
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utilize and contribute to the human knowledge base-paving the way
for huge technological gains and the rise of modern civilization. Still, the
potential of the printing press was not realized overnight. It took cen–
turies for its impact to take effect, and even now, five hundred years
later, illiteracy is still widespread.
Today computers and the Web are creating a parallel revolution. Only
this time, things are moving much more quickly--even by the acceler–
ated standard of twentieth-century innovation. When people talk of
"Web years" it is a concept that really means something. It's not just
hype. Still, this is a revolution that will take time. People have to develop
the skills needed to take advantage of technological opportunities.
Among other things, this will require people
to
learn to read and write in
hypertext-the language of the Internet. Soon it will require audio and
video producers to learn hypertext as well. This means that people will
need to learn to write materials which do not have traditional beginnings
or endings. What's more, they will need to write materials which will be
read, watched, and listened
to
in different ways by different people.
As I indicated, my focus has been on using technology to make conflict
processes more constructive. While many people assume conflict is bad,
and that conflict resolution processes are needed
to
make conflict go away,
I take a different view. I see conflict as the primary engine of social learn–
ing. Conflicts begin when one person says to another, "The world would
be a much better place if you'd change." Conflict arises when the second
person, believing that things are just fine, refuses. Decision-making and dis–
pute resolution processes are the mechanisms that society uses to determine
who prevails. Unfortunately, these processes are often very destructive,
producing processes and decisions that are unwise, inefficient, unfair, or
even deadly. My goal has been to help people identify and implement steps
for limiting these problems and increase conflict's learning potential.
While I don't pretend to be able
to
agreeably resolve all conflicts, my
field does offer a variety of powerful options for dealing more con–
structively with common conflict problems. Unfortunately, it is difficult
to get these ideas
to
the people who need them.
In
the first place, con–
flict resolution is a field where the traditional, technical-expert model of
information is inadequate.
In
this model, which is typical of medicine
and engineering, "basic" scientific research leads to "applied" research
which, in turn, leads
to
a tightly defined series of procedures which are
taught to expert practitioners in professional schools. These practition–
ers ultimately sell their services
to
businesses, government agencies, and
everyday citizens who never need to really understand what is being
done on their behalf or why.
