When Tech Becomes a Ritual

Rituals play a significant role in our personal and professional lives. Many rituals in information technology have had a deep meaning, but now they merely exist without serving the original intent. I observe them distinctly manifest in IT and the society we live in.

Cultural roots of rituals without intent

Centuries ago, a family practiced tying their pet cat to prevent disturbances during festive worship. The tradition lived its time but continues to exist. Some modern families still follow the ritual without having a pet cat. They borrow or buy it without caring for its original intent.

Similarly, your elders ask you to avoid trimming fingernails at night. The original intent was to prevent accidents when there was no electricity. At present, we have electricity but the tradition still lives.

Such rituals without a rationale run parallelly in IT. Our decision-making is guided by the latest trends rather than foundational principles. The fear of missing out (FOMO) encourages us to adopt new technologies and methods without considering their relevance.

The IT Industry's Fascination towards Trends

IT is guilty of being too excited about containerization, microservices architecture, artificial intelligence, blockchain, RPA, NoSQL databases, etc. These solutions offer benefits in the right contexts, facilitating scalability, resilience, and flexibility. However, the enthusiasm to employ them often shadows informed decision-making. You tend to overlook if they’re necessary or beneficial for a given project.

Consider the trend of containerization, microservices architecture, or the indiscriminate adoption of NoSQL databases even when consistency is paramount. A small internal recruitment management system, serving a modest(10-15) user base, might find itself over-engineered with multiple microservices, an ELK stack for logging, and multiple MongoDB instances, all running on a Kubernetes cluster with continuous integration and deployment (CI-CD) pipelines. Such complexity inflates TCO and overlooks the simplicity and efficiency that could have been achieved with a more straightforward approach.

This scenario raises a critical question: Are we building technology solutions based on need, or are we being swayed by the prevailing winds of tech trends? Every complex problem does not necessitate a complex solution. The essence lies in understanding the intent behind adopting a certain practice or technology.

Rediscovering the Why

The essence of innovation in technology lies not in the indiscriminate accumulation of trendy tools but in the judicious selection of methods that genuinely enhance our work. The primary objective should always be to address the specific needs of a project effectively and efficiently. This principle seems to have been overshadowed by the excitement of embracing new technologies for their own sake.

In our eagerness to adopt the latest in tech, we often overlook the significance of understanding the 'why' behind these choices. Are we enhancing user experience, reducing costs, improving efficiency, or simply following a trend? The answers to these questions should guide our decisions, not the allure of being perceived as cutting-edge. As professionals, it's incumbent upon us to sift through the noise, identify what truly matters, and apply solutions that align with the genuine needs of our projects.

Final Thoughts

In IT, much like the cultural traditions of our societies, it is rich with practices that have evolved over time. While it's essential to stay abreast of new technologies and methodologies, it's equally important to understand their intent and applicability to our specific context. As someone passionate about technology, I believe in the power of questioning and the need to adapt based on clear, informed choices rather than blindly following trends and satisfying ego.