I’d like to touch on software’s role in the “real world.” There are many articles out there that speak to how software not only interacts and participates in our physical environments, but that in many ways it shapes those environments. I agree that in the last decade or so, the amount of electronic devices on a person at any given time has increased dramatically. Increasingly we depend on software to connect to others, to acquire knowledge, or to simply navigate through our lives.

For example, in the case Hurricane Katrina, Google Earth made possible in an instant what would have historically taken (at the very least) hours. Services like Scipionus (which no longer exists) allowed users to ask questions about the condition of the areas near their homes, and also upload those conditions through the Google Maps/Earth interface. Reports of damage were available in minutes in both textual and visual forms. It’s remarkable that not only was the information available, but that people were able to find it and use it in such a short amount of time.

Software’s role in our lives has its good (like providing important information in the event of an emergency), but it also has its bad. I’ve recently been reading a book titled Blink!, in which author Malcolm Gladwell argues the point that often it’s the split second decisions and gut impulses that end up being the most accurate and beneficial. When we have too much information we lose sight of the overall issue and our decision making abilities start to fall apart.

Software has the ability to provide us with too much information. With new devices such as the iPhone which connect us to the knowledge of the internet with such little resistance, it’s easy to see that decisions that might be better off made immediately will find themselves put off by the ease with which more information can be obtained. Furthermore, with the increase in the use of written language over spoken word, those experiences that allow us to hone the skills necessary to make instinctive judgments may become dulled. This problem is only exacerbated by features like Google’s Streetview (especially as it’s used on the G1 phone), which allow users to be tethered to the safety net of Google’s vast stores of location-based information.

The ever-increasing amount of electronics and the software the runs them in our everyday lives has created a world in which having all the information you could ever need is taken for granted. Gone are the days of asking locals for directions or (god forbid) getting lost and having to find your own way.

We must not forget that this access to information is only available to those with the means to obtain it. True connectedness today almost requires a broadband internet connection and an unlimited text and data plan for your cell phone. Having those things isn’t enough, however, because you must also have the ability to use them, a situation familiar to many older folks.

A software-driven world can mean that truly necessary (and sometimes unnecessary) information is relayed immediately, and that anyone can be connected to anyone else at any time and in nearly every place. However, this growth of technology has the potential to have disastrous side effects related to decision making and social interaction. Furthermore, it creates divides between the poor and rich as well as the old and young. The poor and older groups continuously find themselves playing catch up in the world of new technology, as the rich and the young are better suited to obtain and use the latest and greatest. Regardless of whether the effects are positive or negative one thing is true: software is an integral part of our lives and will continue to provide increased connectivity and information whenever needed, as well as shape the way we interact with our physical environment.