Here is his answer:
I absolutely believe that the quality
of life has been affected both positively and negatively by technology. But if
I had to sit on one side of the fence I would definitely have a leg on the side
that argues that our quality of life has gotten worse. Sure, life has gotten much
easier, but has it really gotten better? Technology is wonderful for all of the
practical reasons that people normally think of: it is so simple to talk to
someone (without actually talking to them), easier to bank, easier to schedule
an appointment, easier to figure out a tip at a restaurant, easier to instantly
find out who won the Best Supporting Actor award in 1989 to settle a lunch
debate, and it is much simpler to take and share an instant photo or quickly
order a pizza for dinner. When you are lost you can pull up a map instantly.
When you want to hear a song or see a video you can have it in a matter of
seconds. When you want to make an impulsive purchase you can become the proud
owner of a treadmill in the time it takes to run your first quarter-mile. There
are no more documents to sign or taxes to fill out (you can just take a photo
of your returns), and you can refinance your home in minutes. Lastly, boredom
is an antiquated notion, since stimulation is constantly at your fingertips
with the millions of apps and games that allow you to while away the hours.
But what is the cost of these
advances? Life may be simple, easy and fun, but at times it can also be a
little empty. I have been to too many restaurants where I see a family with
their heads down staring at their phones and tablets instead of spending
quality time with each other. Instead of talking to an old friend on the phone
people communicate through their “Likes” on Facebook. Instead of experiencing
the total joy of browsing a record or book store, we sit on our couches and
click away, gradually drifting further and further away from tangible goods
towards our cloud-stored libraries. People can hide anonymously on the internet
making threats and disparaging remarks that they would never make to a person. Our
lives are no longer private. Privacy is a thing of the past. Identities are
stolen each day, sensitive information is stored on public servers, and we are
held captive to the technologies (and technology problems) around us. The
ability to work from home and telecommute has seen a tremendous growth and has
allowed employees to be more flexible with their working hours, but I think it
has also made people more likely to focus their energies on work, rather than
their families, while they are at home. I believe that technology has created a
bit of a wall between people. It has somehow created a more isolated kind of
life while allowing society to seemingly make contact with everyone and
everything instantaneously. Never before have we had so many “friends”, yet we
occasionally feel all alone. The entire world is at our fingertips, but it
almost seems like we are too willing to look at it through our high definition touch
screens, rather than opening the front door and taking a real adventure.
This all being said, I wouldn’t
want to give up the convenience of technology. I have become dependent on my
smart phone and rely on it for nearly everything. I even find myself with my
eyes on my phone rather than on my family more often than I would like. But I
have tried hard to change that habit and put the phone down more often. I have
tried to call an old friend once in awhile rather than send him a quick text
message. I try to maintain some level of privacy by not sharing every detail
about what I eat for dinner on Facebook, and although I have to drive an hour
to do it, I still make sure I go and spend some good quality time at The
Princeton Record Exchange (with a friend) as often as I can.
____________________________________________________
Chris Long lives in Pottstown, PA
with his wife and son. He is a graphic designer by day, and is currently a
student at Immaculata University, where he is getting close to completing his
25-year odyssey towards a bachelor’s degree.You can contact Chris directly at long.chris71@gmail.com
4 comments:
I follow the logic here, but I would say that the reasons for the downside are not due to technology, the reasons are due to our lack of boundaries socially with the devices. Families playing with devices during dinner is a boundary problem - not a technology problem. The technology didn't create the walls - people's inappropriate use of the technology has. Learning to set boundaries is a skill that I think many will adopt over time. I think there is likely to be a lot of momentum over time among social circles and media articles and blog posts to press for boundaries and pressure to step away - at least in restaurants and family dinners. Maybe I'm naieve and too idealistic - but I still say the cost was not due to the technology, the cost was due to people's behavior. -rob
Rob,
You nailed it, buddy! Technology does not degrade our quality of life, people do that with addictive behaviors that skew priorities and relationships. I say, treat technology like a fine wine. Let it enhance and facilitate your social experiences, but know your limits. - Elaine
This is surely an interesting question but I believe it is one with no answer. Technology is nothing more than a tool. Think of it as a hammer. A hammer can be used to build a house and give you a place to live. Or it can be used to cause injury, as a weapon. So is a hammer good or bad? I guess the answer is "yes". All this technology is as good as you make it. It can open your world to people and things that you could never have experienced 50 years ago. But it can also isolate you, inhibit you, frighten you. Ultimately it's up to you to determine how good or bad technology is. Personally, I love it and truly appreciate the things it allows me to do that I couldn't do on my own. One thing I know for sure. My GPS in my car frees me from the fear and anxiety of getting lost. For me, that's a very good thing.
The blog and the comments get it right. This conundrum about the values of new technology is as old as TV dinners, Gutenberg's Bible, Sanskrit, or cave paintings. Every development of communications technology has shaken the world. Some church and government officials denounced Gutenberg's invention fearing it would spread bad ideas and corrupt the populace. But we all retain our humanity if we want to, and we humans always do all programming. "The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit," a 1956 film staring Gregory Peck, has a great movie moment when Peck's character comes home to his suburban family from another long day at the office in Manhattan to find his 2 kids utterly ignoring his appearance because they are glued to the TV (b&w of course). But we have the free will to turn off the TV, or the smart phone, or the iPad. We can set boundaries for ourselves and be role models and guides for our children. In the end, Peck's character decides to forego a major corporate promotion, opting for family over career. That may seem like a cliche to us now, over 50 years later, but it still resonates.
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