Techno or Tech-No! Are technology and social services somehow incompatible?

 I’m a fan of technology; I like the latest tech toys and computer programs, and that’s a large part of what drew me to ClientTrack–I believe technology lets us extend and expand our human capacities. And, I’m also a humanist, in the Carl White/Virginia Satir “we-all-have-innate-potential-and-need-honest-relationships” way. I’ve wondered if these two interests are somehow at odds. I’ve been told I was strange because I was a social worker who also wanted to learn computer programming. Is that so wrong? Is something about the human relationship-oriented field of social services somehow incompatible with technology?

A recent article I read said that social service fields lagged years behind others in their adoption of technology and technology solutions in their practice. And, from my observations and experience, I would agree. There are still a lot of people who use paper assessments, thick file folders, and 1970’s tan filing cabinets, even though software programs like ClientTrack are available to help them be more efficient. But, why is this? If this is the case, what might impede social services from integrating technology with their practice? Is it a trust issue? A control thing? Does it somehow diminish a sense of connection with clients? What are your thoughts? As a jumping-off point, I’d love to hear what you have to say about this.