Over the course of my twenty-five-year career as a technologist, I've come to understand a fundamental truth: change is an ever-present force in our lives. Each day, we wake up to a relentless stream of news and events that seem to change the world around us as we go about our daily routines. As we journey through life, we accumulate memories of love, loss, triumphs, failures, and achievements. We navigate our existence moment by moment, and in doing so, we encounter change—sometimes as subtle as morning raindrops and other times as tumultuous as giant, crashing waves.
Amidst this constant ebb and flow, one thing remains unchanging: change itself. What sets us apart is how we choose to respond to this perpetual force, shaping our personal narratives. Over the past few years, both within our DOCS family and in the broader world, we've witnessed an acceleration of change. From the transformative impact of a pandemic on our work lives to divisive elections and even the rebuilding of the very technologies that underpin our daily routines here at Rutgers, one thing remains constant—the inevitability of change. How we embrace or resist it will ultimately influence the direction of our personal journeys.
We stand on the precipice of a technological revolution, the likes of which humanity has never witnessed. While technology has evolved over millennia, our current era is marked by an unprecedented, exponential shift. As this computing revolution has unfolded over recent decades, we have yet to fully comprehend the profound implications it holds for our future. Meanwhile, we navigate a world saturated with information, largely facilitated by the technologies that have become integral to our daily lives.
Take for example, the move to create faster data connectivity to our homes and workplaces. Time traveling backwards thirty or so years when my interests in computers began, I vividly recall working with my internet service provider to give me with a block of fixed, unique internet addresses which allowed me the ability to own my own domains and learn foundational skills I still use today. That amazing feat my provider at the time did for me was unheard of twenty-five years ago over a 56k dialup modem, but today it would simply be part of setting up a network.
Build from that as many of us saw, the rise of websites, AOL, chat, news groups, etc. The next step was moving from your old, unreliable, and let’s be honest noisy, dialup modem, to cable modems or dedicated internet lines. That allowed those proto websites with dancing animated bears and loud audio files to load faster. And once people realized the power of what it could be to share or create information rapidly across homes, states, countries….not even the greatest minds of that time could have predicted the rain becoming a flood. By the early 2000s websites were becoming more sophisticated. The technologies, thanks to faster connection and accessibility improvements demanded evolution, and the steps to where we are today felt like they happened instantly, but in retrospective, they took years to build upon.
As technology advanced, the creation and sharing of information accelerated, leading to the sophisticated websites of the early 2000s. These technological improvements, driven by faster connectivity and accessibility, took years to develop. The next wave of change arrived with the advent of mobile computing, epitomized by the iPhone. This innovation revolutionized how we interact with the world and access information, effectively placing the sum of human knowledge in our pockets.
Within a few more years, the rise of social media further transformed the way we connect with each other, both positively and negatively. This transformation allowed people from diverse backgrounds and cultures to share their perspectives and realities instantly. It begs the question: would our world be the same if communication had remained at a human pace?
And now, we find ourselves at the dawn of another significant shift—the rise of artificial intelligence (AI). Predicting its ultimate impact is a challenge. Reflecting on my own journey through these technological milestones, it's clear that expectations often fall short of reality. Change can be anticipated with either apprehension or optimism, or it can sneak up on us, revealing its true significance only in hindsight.
So, what lessons can we glean from this ever-changing landscape? I offer two insights, drawn from my own professional and personal journey. First, what you expect, whether positive or negative, rarely aligns precisely with reality. Flexibility and an acceptance of change are essential. Recognize that even difficult times are transitions to something new, and nothing is entirely good or bad. Second, time only moves forward, and the only form of time travel available to us is the ability to shape our future. Don't dwell in the darkness of challenging moments; instead, embrace the understanding that life is a series of transitions. Monumental moments may pass us by, only revealing their significance once they are behind us. If you're ever knocked down by the waves of change, remain patient, stay calm, and work on getting back up. Life will change, we will adapt, and history will continue to be written.