Nicholas Carr’s Article “IT Doesn’t Matter”

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What are your views on Carr’s article? IT doesn’t matter?

There are many interesting articles about the role of IT in business. People cannot even notice how IT dependent they have actually become. It is hard to image a modern life without some information technologies, and people should learn how to use them and not become their slaves. Nicholas Carr made an attempt to evaluate the role of IT in 2003. He introduced a thoughtful analysis, comparing various information technologies with other commodities available to people. One of the most powerful aspects of his article is the attempt to involve the reader in the analysis. It is not enough to introduce a list of facts, underline IT strong and weak aspects, and prove that the chosen position is correct. What Carr did was the promotion of analytical thinking among the readers. In fact, the Carr’s article “IT Doesn’t Matter” seems to be a good source of information about the issues that are present in a human life and turn out to be invisible due to their frequent usage and human’s inabilities to stop bringing them into play.

The article under analysis shows the way how it is necessary to treat IT not to become completely dependent on it. Still, I think that Carr’s ideas are a little bit out-of-date. The point is that what the author experienced in 2003 in regards to ITs differs considerably from the experiences people have today. Carr (2003) compared IT with electricity or railroad development and proved that IT managers should not use this kind of technology as a competitive advantage due to its ability to be commoditised within a short period of time.

Overall, the Carr’s article is interesting and helpful work. Due to his possibility to provide informative explanations and give clear examples and comparisons, the article is easy to read and understand.

How have follow-up papers from other authors responded to the views?

Many authors are eager to share their own points of view on the work offered by Carr in 2003. Some people strongly agree with the author and believe that his attempt to explain the worth of IT has powerful grounds and is interesting to touch upon. Some people cannot understand his intention to decrease the power of IT completely and try to offer their own ideas.

For example, the evaluation offered by Mikeb introduces one of the possible ways of how Carr’s writing can and should be analysed. At the beginning, the author provides a synopsis of the Carr’s work and then explains why it is interesting to analyse Carr’s ideas. Mikeb does not find it necessary to agree with the author on all points. Though Carr uses a number of examples on how to treat and understand IT, Mikeb (2007) mentions that such choice of examples is not well indeed as certain details are omitted, and people are in need of full information and more complicated facts in the recommendation section.

However, such writers like Brown and Hagel (2003) admit that Carr’s attention to the details and the comparison of IT with railroads or other commodities seem to be a powerful idea that can explain the main idea and functions of IT. They support Carr’s work and define it as an important and seminal piece of writing (Brown & Hagel 2003). As well as Carr, the authors believe that business is the sphere of life that overestimates the value of IT. In spite of its strategic nature, IT is not used as the chance to get rewarded only nowadays. In addition to the analysis of Carr’s achievements, Brown and Hagel promote their own vision of IT and explain why managers have to rely on the ideas offered by Carr.

Are there any issues that are relevant in our own context?

The world of IT has been dramatically changed during the last 15 years. 2003 is the date when the Carr’s article was created. In 2015, people cannot even imagine their lives without IT and a variety of ways available to them. People like to believe that they control IT completely. At the same time, they cannot notice that the current IT progress defines the quality of life.

In the article, it is mentioned that “the rapidly increasing affordability of IT functionality has not only democratised the computer revolution, it has destroyed one of the most important potential barriers to competitors” (Carr 2003, p. 45). The Carr’s work may serve as another proof of the fact that people cannot understand a true worth of IT but want to gain control of it neglecting the fact that IT has already controlled the lives of millions of people. People are provided with one more chance to look through the whole IT progress and define their own place in it. Carr, as well as the authors of the two other works discussed in the paper, helps to realise that people still have and should not lose a chance to improve their relations with IT.

References

Brown, JS & Hagel, J 2003, ‘Letter from John Seely Brown and John Hagel III’, Does IT Matter? An HBR Debate. Web.

Carr, NG 2003, ‘IT doesn’t matter’, Harvard Business Review, pp. 41-49. Web.

Mikeb 2007, ‘Carr’s “IT doesn’t matter”’, We Can Help IT. Web.

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Nicholas Carr’s Article “IT Doesn’t Matter”

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