Rationality and digital technology

With the increasing pervasiveness of digital technology, the computing profession faces new circumstances. But computing professionals must be alert and responsive to the wider social implications of digital technology's ever-growing adoption. Further, they must base this alertness and responsiveness on an understanding of digital technology and its role in social change, which is much wider than commonly acknowledged during the education of computing professionals. The profession must monitor the development of technology and, if necessary, influence it. The social effects of technology reflect the contention between rationality and irrationality, and they result from the contrast between personality and authority in affecting the contention. By personality, Churchill meant the taking of personal responsibility for values and actions, which is very much the essence of professionality as far as learned professions of any kind are concerned.