The birds chirp
outside the Taylor household indicating the impending sunrise.
Jacob Taylor sits, eyes fixed on the flash animation beaming across
his computer screen. His wife, Clarissa, enters with balled fists,
rubbing her half open eyes. Housecoat tied at the waist and
headscarf lopsided, she gingerly pats her husband on the shoulder.
“What are you doing
Jacob? It’s two o’clock in the morning.”
His head snaps
around in a motion reminiscent of the Exorcist as he lets out an
exhausted sigh.
“Well you ruined
the surprise honey. I am buying your birthday gifts.”
Clarissa squints at
the screen unable to see what web site is up on the monitor without
her glasses. She pauses and puts her hand on her hip.
“My birthday is
tomorrow! No, technically today since it is almost dawn. So you
didn’t have time to pick something up before now?”
“You think its last
minute don’t you? Ha! They do same day delivery! I love
the Internet!!” He lets out a loud cackle.
“I don’t.” Clarissa
turns and walks out of the room much to Jacob’s surprise.
Jacob speaks to the
computer as if it is a living person. “She loved the Internet when
we were checking out those vacation spots last week.” He shrugs and
continues to point and click his way into the morning.
After reading the
scenario above are you questioning the role of technology in our
lives? The way we work, communications with friends and loved ones,
and many other aspects of our daily routine are now governed by the
beeps and blips of a piece of machinery. When we find ourselves
using the more impersonal means of technology to do the things that
we once had to make time to do, such as shopping for presents in
advance, going to a travel agent with that special someone to plan a
trip, or even paying bills we must ask ourselves “Is technology
taking a “byte” out of life?”
Society has never
been, collectively, as technically inclined as it is today.
Everything is done within a system of 1’s and 0’s either through
electronic organizers or personal digital assistants, shrinking cell
phones, or the immense Internet. More tasks, both business and
personal are done at the click of a mouse and at the speed of online
credit card verification than ever before. The personal use of
computers has shot through the roof compared to ten years ago.
Advancements are utterly amazing with regards to how much
information is now accessible through avenues like the world wide
web, but are we too dependant on the diagnosis of WebMD and less
inclined to go to the doctor? This is not a slam against all things
uploaded, but more or less a question to remind us that the keys to
a happy and fulfilling life are not found on the pad of letters
connected to our Pentium IV.
Many people would
argue that technology helps them to stay in better contact with
friends and loved ones. However, if we are all honest with
ourselves, a conversation via email or even the interactive real
time text transfer of Instant Messenger is not the same as picking
up the phone, talking to someone and hearing the inflections of
their voice. The imagined sound we hear when someone types “lol”
will never take the place of a broad smile or genuine laughter. How
do you really know if “lol” is a chuckle, giggle, snicker, or
extreme outburst of laughter?
The bottom line is
to utilize the technical enhancements that make life easier, but be
cautious of overuse to the point of making relationships,
communications, and experiences generalized and impersonal.
Remember it is perfectly normal to visit a floral shop to pick out a
bouquet, to drive to the dealership when shopping for a car, or
really visit the bank when applying for a loan. Technology may
provide the services we need but has not achieved the widespread
capability of duplicating the face time, personal involvement, or
socializing components that make life exciting, emotional and
engaging. Just as it holds true that “there are some things money
can’t buy,” there are some things, no matter how advanced we become,
that technology cannot replace.
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