Technology Running Wild?
Writing that article about our current president and his Blackberry dilemma a while back got me thinking about that ever present topic of dependence on technology again.
Have we become too dependent on technology?
Have we gone from a once technophobic culture, to a now over-teched culture?
I always hear about people commenting on how they can’t live without their cell phones or they can’t live without their laptops or they can’t imagine not having email or Facebook or iPods or any of these things we seem to take for granted nowadays.
I recall a time not too long ago when we had no MP3s, and DVDs, heck we didn’t even have CDs! No Direct TV, no remote control and no MTV!
Shocking I know but were we really that bad off. Could we really afford to be without these things?
I think the majority of Americans are feeling just a bit overwhelmed by technology these days.
Some have found it so difficult keeping up with technology that they haven’t even made the switch from analog to digital yet, let alone to HD TV. This meant that the government had to step in and provide coupons for analog converter boxes to folks who were still depending on that old analog signal to watch there daily programs. Yet even with well advanced notice some are still not ready to make the switch and then there are those that probably never will. They will purposely refuse to do so because they feel that government is infringing on their rights of being able to continue watching their favorite TV shows on those old funky rabbit ears. These are most likely the ones that still remain very technophobic and frightened by anything new.
I myself have become so dependent on the convenience of having my cell phone on me at all times, that I sometimes wonder could I ever go back to a time when we didn’t have this comfort.
It seems as though we have gotten very spoiled by technology and yet at the same time we always want more. We are constantly in search of the next great gadget or hoping that they make the next one better than the one before as if we are never quite satisfied.
Sometimes I can’t help but think that it seems as though at times, technology is somewhat dividing us instead of uniting us. With all these social networking sites, texting, instant messaging, etc. it seems people these days will actually go out of there way to avoid interacting with each other in person or even over the phone. It seems as though these virtual environments have taken the place of real life connections.
It’s true that there are also many positives to today’s technological world. The Internet, for example, has taken what was once a very big world that was seemingly out of reach and condensed it down to a monitor and keyboard. Everything has become so easily accessible these days. From being able to communicate with people across the globe to virtually traveling to far out distant lands through the click of a mouse. The list of technological advancements goes on and on, far too numerous to mention them all here. Yet with all these advancements, which in most cases have made our lives much easier, one can’t help but notice how complicated and complex things have gotten as well.
The generation of today is definitely a lot more spoiled than previous generations ago. As I write this, I’m reminded of those old tedious diatribes adults used to bore me to death with when I was a kid about how hard things were for them growing up. Walking 25 miles to school every morning uphill both ways, on worn out shoes. Carrying their siblings on their backs to their one room schoolhouse where they still managed to maintain a straight A+ average despite working their full-time afterschool job at the local paper mill making 35 cents an hour just to help keep their family from starving. Not quite the same as growing up with no DVD’s and PlayStation but still pretty tough nonetheless.
Call me crazy but I think I liked the old days a bit more. Growing up in those days was fun just plain fun, a lot more fun than I think kids have these days. We actually got to go out and play instead of staying in doors all the time playing video games or surfing the internet. We interacted more, we used our imaginations more and I also believe we dreamt more.
Now by no means am I suggesting we go back to the old days and get rid of a lot of the technology that has made our lives easier, or disregard its role in our advances in science and medicine, etc. I just think its imperative for us to keep the same level of human interaction we had prior to all this. I guess there comes a time when we have to draw that “virtual line” in the sand and ask ourselves a very important question, are we really running technology or is technology running us?
Now that spring is upon us and with summer just around the corner, let’s not forget to go out there and smell those beautiful roses. Make it a point to take a break from your technologically engrossing life and enjoy the warm beautiful sunny days ahead that only good ‘ole mother nature can bring us. Who knows, you just might end up making a new real life friend.
