All Aboard: Can Technology Make Us Responsible?
In Iran, the combination of citizens and cell phone cameras has been revolutionary.
But in Boston, the story of a man using his Blackberry to record the potentially dangerous actions of a bus driver has raised a question about whether communications technology can ever compel someone to be responsible.
The bus was in route from Boston to New York, when front row passenger Shelomo Alfassa became alarmed. The driver had his eyes off the road and both hands off the wheel while he tore, folded, and processed tickets. The driver also used his cell phone for calling and messaging.
Alfassa says he called the bus company in route, but was unconvinced they would do anything to stop the driver’s behavior—or the bus, which was speeding down the highway with dozens of passengers.
So Alfassa recorded 20 minutes of video with his Blackberry. After arriving in New York, Alfassa says he tried to speak to the bus company several times, to no avail. Two weeks later, he posted his edited video on YouTube, supplying captions about the driver: “He is either texting or reading e-mail on his cell phone.”
“My goal is not to get this guy fired,” Alfassa said. “My goal is to get these guys, as a corporation, to be responsible.”
But many readers of the Boston newspaper that reported the incident said Alfassa’s actions had little to do with responsibility and everything to do with technological tattling and video vigilantism. “This looks like a case of overreaction by someone who feels empowered with a cellphone,” wrote one. “Is the busybody passenger who taped this incident a professional driver?” asked another. “Sit down, shut up, read, sleep, whatever,” blurted one more, “but leave the…driver alone. Did he not get this ‘hero’ to his destination unharmed?”
Alfassa answered back unequivocally: “This is not ‘video vigilantism’, this is being a responsible citizen.”
Tell us what you think: Did Alfassa do the right thing? Can technology ever force responsibility, or enable it?
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Comments
"It takes a village" does not only apply to raisin
We have a problem with dangerous bus drivers in Pittsburgh, PA, and I for one wish more people would do this. I have read about three different deaths this year caused by careless bus drivers. There is little or no accountability that I am aware of. My boyfriend and I have several times reported very dangerous driving of bus drivers, where in each case we were almost cause to crash our car because the bus driver wanted to illegally merge. This has been reported, and yet we continue to see many different drivers do the same illegal merge at the same area. This is not tattle telling, this is potentially saving peoples’ lives. Bus drivers should have a higher responsibility since they have to get special licensing. Where is the difference between a negligent bus driver and a negligent doctor, other than a bus driver can kill or injure a bunch of persons with one accident?
jade1977 | 3 months ago
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teacher
Technology can force responsible behavior, and that is a good thing, even if the behavior is a result of coercion instead of intrinsic motivation. When I am riding a bus or commuter train, I don’t care whether the driver is doing the right thing because he knows he may be videotaped or because he cares about his responsibility to his passengers. It’s a shocking shame, though, that drivers can be so uncaring and unprofessional that they will risk the lives of their passengers. I applaud the passenger who taped and posted the video; it may well save lives.
Becky Cooper | 3 months ago
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all aboard
I’ll wager the people who criticised the Mr. Alfassa for documenting dangerous driving habits by the bus driver would be the first to criticise if he had not done so and an accident had happened. “For evil to exist requires only that good men do nothing”. If more people took an interest in stopping crime, crime would not be so prevalent.
James Newman | 2 months, 3 weeks ago
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better Parenting through Technology?
It is possible that technology can give us the tools to be better parents?
In the evolution of entertainment from broadcast television and radio to interactive digital communities we may be evolving some brilliant new alternatives to repetitive and destructive games and worse. mind numbing television…
As an example, a new website launched at TechCrunch50 in San Francisco last week, www.toonstunes.com gives children a place to go to explore, create and share music. Cunningly, the bit where they learn about music does not resemble the music lessons you may have suffered through.
Here is a link to the launch event stage presentation: http://bit.ly/YJJne
I have really enjoyed your writing Kathy, thank you.
David Shantz | 1 month, 3 weeks ago
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France
Hi People
How are you doing?
Frorsedrirm | 1 month, 2 weeks ago
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Professor
Driving and texting is not multi-tasking. It is the most irresponsible way of creating a tragedy for who knows how many people and causing thousands and perhaps hundred of thousands of dollars in damages, and hundreds of hours of lost productive time. Alfasso deserves an award for being concerned enough to report this reckless behavior to the home office and to send it world wide when those in charge chose to ignore the report.
Doris Hoffman | 10 hours, 54 minutes ago
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