What can we learn from the Amish view on technology?

Is that new? I want to try? Have you seen this new feature? I want that too. We are all addicted to innovative technology, gadgets, and new features. Is this a good thing? I recently listened to the BBC show The Digital Human. They talked about the attitude of the Amish People towards technology. And I was stuck by their process for adapting to new technology. Completely aimed at their values and supporting their community goals.The

Amish decide to use modern technology very consciously

Many people think the Amish reject all technology. This is not true; they use technology very selectively. Amish use technology to support their values and cultural guidelines. It might surprise you to know Amish use electrical light, calculators, mobile telephones, fax machines, gas-powered grills, modern farming equipment, batteries, word-processing tools, and even GPS.

I think we can learn a lot from the way the Amish decide to use new technology. The interesting part is that the choice to use new technology is tightly linked to their values and long-term community strategy. To understand this process, you have to understand their culture.

The Amish believe in one God. They believe that their faith calls for them to lead a lifestyle that consists of hard work and discipline. In addition to discipline and hard work, their religion also calls for them to lead a lifestyle in which they practice humility, calmness, and placidity. Standing out as an individual through self-promotion or self-expression is forbidden. The Amish are organized in small communities that focus on bringing the people in the community together and mutually supporting each other. The decision to use technology is tightly coupled to the way they want to accomplish their goals. And for every choice, they also assess the unintended consequences of this technology on themselves and their community. And this last part is very important. They not only view the advantages of new technology, but they also consider the possible negative consequences of this technology and relate this to the impact this might have on their cultural values.

Assess the unforeseen consequences of technology

For example, TV would be very beneficial for the Amish as an educational source of agricultural methods, a way to spread their culture and values, and a very practical weather forecast. However, the TV would also expose the Amish to mass-media advertisements and distracting entertainment that would certainly harm their values and even disperse their strong sense of community. This is the reason why TV, Radio, and the general Internet are not allowed.

A mobile phone can be very useful for Amish construction workers when they are on a job and need to discuss missing building material or the planning. For this, they invented the Black Box phone. This is a landline phone that is hooked to a local cell phone tower that covers their local community. This way, they can use cell phone technology without the unintended distraction that comes with a modern cell phone device. The same for GPS, which is used for navigation and localization of their buggies.  There are even communities that experiment with the use of Pinterest and Facebook for the sale of their products. However, after a trial period, they concluded that the unintended side effects of these platforms are harming their values and decided to stop using them.

A conscious process of technology choices

I am impressed by the conscious process the Amish use to evaluate new technology. The process they use is very clear and helpful to explain why some technology is allowed and some technology is not adding value. This process is firmly grounded in their culture, values, and long-term view of their community.

When we apply this process to our world, we can still apply this process and make ourselves more conscious of the decisions we make. For both personal use and business use. I see 3 steps in this process.

1. Define and set your strategy, values, and culture.
2. Implement a process to assess new technology.
3. Evaluate the unforeseen consequences of technology.

This process aligns your choices to use certain technology with your values and makes it easier to make decisions and explain why you are (not) using them. Too often, I see myself being sucked into innovations and technological features. Having a process that forces you to take a step back and view the consequences of this technology in relationship with your values helps. It will bring you as a person (or organization) more in control of your life. Hopefully, it will reduce the amount of time-wasting and expensive technological innovations for you and your company. And let’s face it, how happy are you scrolling through your Facebook timeline, your voice-controlled smart speaker, or your intelligent robot vacuum cleaner?

Align technology with your strategy

Organizations can use this process to align their technological roadmap with their strategy. For example, If you are a company that values customer privacy and enforces this in a trustworthy image, you will think twice about choosing a SaaS data lake solution for analyzing your customers’ behaviors. Another example: if you are valuing sustainability as a company, this process will force you to demand that your suppliers adhere to the same standards. This will enable the whole supply chain to become more sustainable.

I think this is a very valuable model. And it will make me think twice before I run after the next innovative gadget. It will save me a lot of money and time. Please let me know your ideas on this and add your comments below.