4th Industrial Revolution Vibe

Pic by Onismus Rondozai. Cullinan SA 

Background

One can feel the intensity of the 4^th Industrial Revolution vibe on the global village. It’s a topical issue in government institutions, media, community and family units. As a starting point, one needs to understand what an industrial revolution is all about before trying to figure out what 4^th Industrial Revolution entails.

Industrial revolution involves a major paradigm shift in the modes of production of a period in question with the aim of maximizing production by using more efficient production strategies.  Peter N. Stearns (2018) in his book, ‘The Industrial Revolution in World History’ stated that Industrial Revolution, “Focused on new methods and organizations for producing goods.”  So, focus is on adopting new methodologies that should improve production of goods and services. After one has read through the four industrial revolutions, one will no doubt appreciate the fact that indeed the industrial revolutions brought about more efficient methods of production which in turn improved the standard of living of the masses. How about a shift from animal or human drawn power to coal powered steam engines? These methodologies brought about mass production of goods at minimum costs because of the nature of mechanization initiated. Let’s now briefly navigate through the industrial revolutions to get an understanding of how it began and where we find ourselves in- the 4^th Industrial Revolution.

1st Industrial Revolution (1760- 1880): The main feature of the 1^st Industrial Revolution was the aspect of steam power technology. Coal was used to generate power for steam engines in industries. Trains were powered by steam as well. Not so long ago, in Zimbabwe steam trains were still being used especially in holiday resorts such as Victoria Falls, maybe just to spice up the holiday moods of tourists. With steam power assisting to improve production in agricultural sector, textile and iron manufacturing industries, there was no doubt that the standard of living of peasant populations in Western Europe and North America greatly improved. For example, major shifts from traditional methods of tilling land for peasant farmers to highly mechanized systems of production boosted agricultural activities. Settlements grew into major towns buzzing with economic activities. Life became more comfortable for the inhabitants.

2^nd Industrial Revolution (1880- 1950): Whereas the 1^st Industrial Revolution saw the change from manual labor to mechanization made possible by the invention of steam power, the 2^nd Industrial Revolution saw major improvements in technological advances and expansion of industries. More advanced tools were designed which helped in boosting industrial production. There were improvements in rail systems, steel and electricity production. Inventions were also noted in the production of chemical fertilizer for farming, gasoline engines for airplanes and car manufacturing plants such as the famous Henry Ford Motor Company which carried out mass production of the Ford Model T vehicles. His concept of the assembly line conveyor system is still significant in production processes up to this day.

3^rd Industrial Revolution (1950- 2000): The focus of this revolution was on development of computers. It’s known as the digital revolution since analogy systems were replaced with digital technologies. The Internet, ICT devices and the use of cloud space revolutionized computer technology. Information and Communication Technology changed the way people communicated at home and in industries. Production systems were computerized thus making the systems efficient.

4^th Industrial Revolution (21^st Century)

This is the 4^th phase of technological advancement in human history. In my view, this is an advancement or extension of the 3^rd Industrial Revolution. The major features of this phase are the Internet of Things (IoT), Virtual Reality (VR), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Robotics and Coding. These are meant to improve Information and Communication Technology ((ICT) thus improving the lives of the users. Use of ICT devices such as SMART Boards, Smartphones, Tablets with appropriate applications are some of the features of the 21^st century schools.

Technology has revolutionized communication in society enabling people to share information, media files etc using ICT devices such as laptops, tablets and smartphones. This innovation, if used properly, can make communication effective, fast and effortless. It's the flip side of this glorious invention that is at times worrisome to society. Not that technology is bad, but the abuse of it by some overzealous people. What comes to mind is the current trend by politicians and society in general who quickly rush to social media sites like Twitter to vent their anger on topical issues.  They end up misfiring and demonizing the organizations they work for or represent thereby ending up being fired for washing dirty linen in public. It's too late to regret at dawn when the deed has already been done. Social media is not for the short tempered and short sighted because the consequences of not following the netiquettes can be too ghastly to contemplate. It is said that the worst combination is a wide mouth and a narrow mind.

What about the unfortunate trend by some members of society who use ICTs to send their nude pictures that end up in the public domain. Not that one wants to show off to the public what one is made of (unless mentally challenged) but because one is madly in love with a 'Ben10’ or ‘Makhwapheni' and decides to show off the priceless asset, especially in happier times. One forgets that days are never the same. Glorious moments at one stage and tsunami moments at other times. One small disagreement and wallah!... the nude pictures are off-loaded onto the social media. Just a click of a button and one's dignity is washed down the sewage pipe. One will unfairly demonize technology in such cases. One of the side effects of technology if it falls into wrong hands. And do people learn? NO. One case after the other. Be they young, old, rich and famous or the not so famous. Well respected man and women in expensive suits that cover what is then public knowledge. What an irony. It's a crazy world, isn't it? ICT devices should be used productively as embark on the 4th Industrial Revolution. Do not be left behind otherwise you become redundant. Excuses are for the doomed. 'Smell the coffee...' get going! ICTs won’t replace one if one moves with the times and embrace technology because it still needs a human touch. However, if technophobia is one’s handicap, I have no doubt that technology will one day kick one out of the system due to redundancy.

The other side effect of industrialization is when drones are used by terrorists to transport bombs to terrorize communities. The media is awash with such sad stories of abuse of technology. Not to mention the phishing and malware challenges that computer technology can be vulnerable to if not monitored properly and action taken quickly. The banking sector tries its best to warn their account holders about such dangers. Technology in the 4^th Industrial Revolution era should be used for productive efforts just like in the revolutions preceding the current one. Instead of using drones for evil purposes, a private company or government department can use drones to monitor progress on a construction site rather than relying on information from supervisors on the site, some of whom might be unreliable. Drones can be used to transport critical medicines after natural disasters in inaccessible terrains. There are a thousand plus reasons why we should embrace this revolution than its side effects.

Embracing the 4^th industrial Revolution in a School Set-Up:

When one is introducing or initiating 21st century skills to a school organization for example, one must get a buy-in from staff members first. Emphasize what they as individuals can benefit from the change rather than expecting them to adopt the change just because it is policy. It reminds me of the Theory of Reasoned Action formulated by Ajzen and Fishbein (1980) in which they state that a person’s behaviour is determined by the person’s intention to perform the behaviour and that this intention is in turn, a function of that person’s attitude toward the behaviour. So, an attitude towards usage of a technology determines whether the teacher is going to embrace the innovation in question or not. A negative attitude becomes a deterrent. This theory is a spring board for the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) created by F.D. Davis (1993). The model tries to establish why users reject or accept ICTs and how external factors influence adoption of the innovation. This information is important to an ICT facilitator when trying to improve user acceptance levels. The Facilitator should make sure that the teachers are ready psychologically and emotionally for the innovation.

Steam power, the science of mass production and advancements in digital technology, to name a few, have fundamentally transformed the world for good. These technologies are meant to make the lives of people more comfortable. However, some people find it difficult to embrace changes brought about by these revolutions even though it’s for their good. Change is at times difficult to embrace because it deskills a worker. Some workers are just afraid of the unknown because it removes them from their comfort zones. However, no one can keep on hiding from reality and win. A revolution is not an event so one can not hide forever. Let’s make the 4^th revolution a success for our benefit and that of future generations.  Let’s get rid of technophobia in our society and workplace because it is retrogressive. The 4^th Industrial Revolution here we are!

References

Davis, F.D., (1993). User acceptance of information technology: system characteristics,
 user perceptions and behavioural impacts. University of Michigan Business School.

Fishbein, M., & Ajzen, I. (1975). Beliefs, attitude, intention, and behavior: An introduction to theory and  research. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.

Stearns, P.N., (2013). The Industrial Revolution in World History. (4^th Ed). Routledge. George Mason University.

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