My friend's phone died last night, so she used twitter to contact me and we eventually met up. Years ago she wouldn't have had the technology to do that. She has a Blackberry, which means that she can tell when people read her text messages and vice versa. Technology tells too much When we met up we started talking about how much things have changed since we were little kids. Nowadays when somebody's phone dies, people panic. It's sort of like that exercise we did in the beginning of the year when we turned our phones off and felt disconnected from the world. If my phone were to die, I would feel uneasy because I couldn't contact people and I'm sure people would wonder what happened to me.
It's crazy to think I used to not own a cell phone, or an email address, or an AIM, Skype, Twitter, Facebook, the list goes on. I wonder how I ever made it without it but we all been through it. I feel like the overuse of technology can be detrimental on what goes on in real life. Technology is seeming to consume us rather than us consuming it. It has become a part of life. Not only do we use it to kill our downtime but we must use it to check email, sign up for classes, print out assignment, and so many other things just for school. Us using this blog as part of the class is the perfect example.
This class made me realize how much I depend on technology and makes me not want to indulge in social media as much anymore, but I'm held hostage by the Network effect. Only reason I'm still here is because I want to be included. As I get older, I'm sure I will revert to the good ole days, where technology doesn't run my life. Only time will tell, i guess.
I agree. It is crazy to think that once upon a time, we survived in this world without all these means of communication, other than a basic house phone with an answering machine. When I was in elementary school I didn't need a cell phone or the internet. And yet I still kept on living because at the time it wasn't a problem to be without technology. Nowadays, like you said, we need to be included. Like the Network Effect. We have this dying need to know everything about everyone and everything. It is like we need it to survive. When we had that few minutes in class with our cell phone turned off, it was like our world was going to end. How did our society become like this? It is interesting to think that when we get older, and become elderly, we may not rely on cell phones or the internet. Or will it be completely opposite? Since the elderly today were without technology, they still do not use it. But since we are lost without it at a young age, will this continue with us for the rest of our lives?
ReplyDeleteI also agree with what you said. We were actually talking about this topic in one of my other classes about how it's a shame that people rely so much on technology and how, in a way, our generation is a lot "lazier" than the generations before us. Instead of getting directions from a map, we use our GPS. Instead of calling or visiting relatives, we send them a quick text or e-mail. Even many jobs have many of their applications on line. I feel like we've really lost the person-person interaction that we use to have. And although all of these technologies can be great and have definitely made life more interactive in a way, I just hope that it does not get to the point where we rely only on technology. As we've discussed many times in class, as long as there is a balance, things should be alright, because to me, even the most advanced technology can't replace the kind of interactions and connections that happen in person.
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