A massive pandemic is sweeping the globe today; a pandemic that is killing our minds. While it can be a phenomenal asset to our lives, this pandemic is taking over our way of life. Ladies and gentlemen, we are being afflicted by the technology pandemic.
Technology is amazing! Technology is interesting and fun. Technology is something that we need. In countries where technology such as gaming systems, smart phones, DVD players, music players, etc., runs rampant, we have lost the ability to survive without relying on our inventions. Even life without lights seems impossible to many people in technologically advanced countries nowadays.
Technology exists on a large spectrum that ranges all the way from simple, to excruciatingly complex. In many highly advanced countries, in terms strictly relating to technology, inventions called smart phones exist in a seemingly infinite supply. Once can scarcely amble down the street without being witness to someone using a smart phone, or other hand-held, portable piece of technology. Having a palm-sized computer capable of retrieving millions of bits of information from virtually every single source on the internet, that can silently sit in your pocket is an exceptionally remarkable achievement. Unfortunately, that remarkable feat goes unnoticed by so many. I don't stop to think about how amazing it is that I can sit in bed at night with an unlimited supply of cat videos on Youtube. I bet that my best friend doesn't think twice about how incredible it is that she can create intricate videos, edit them, and then upload those videos to social media, all on the same hand-held device in a matter of minutes. That being said, the lack of thought regarding the purely amazing capability of technology is not what has caused this pandemic.
We don't think about Thomas Edison or his competitors every time we flip up a light switch. We aren't obsessed with leaving lights on (unless we have just watched a terrifying movie). If a lack of realization about how amazing technology is is not responsible for the technology pandemic, then what is?
I'd better say what technology pandemic I am referring to. You may have guessed by now, but I am talking specifically about the obsession of individuals with smart phones and similar mobile devices. I just mentioned other technology as I believe that we, as people, must understand how lucky we are to have the technology we take for granted. I don't feel like sitting here and repeating a speech you've heard countless times about why you need to put your phone down, or limit your time watching TV or limit the amount of times you check your social media accounts. I only want to ask you a short list of questions regarding phones and similar devices.
1) Why do you have a phone/IPod/etc. and why the particular model/version?
2) What caused you to truly desire to have this piece of technology? This isn't just about why you want it, but what caused you want it.
3) How important is this device to you?
4) Does your life depend on this device?
5) Would you sacrifice your life or someone else's for this device?
6) How much time do you spend on this device, on average, every day?
7) Do you ever complain about not having time to do important tasks such as work for a job, school work, cleaning, or spending time with family? Do you find yourself wishing you had more time to do other activities such as knitting or working out?
8) Do you think that your answers to questions 6 and 7 are related?
9) Is your chosen device your go-to for entertainment, regardless of location? For example, do you scroll through Facebook at restaurants, or watch Youtube videos at the movies?
10) Would you ever be able to give up your chosen device?
11) What would you do if the power went out and never came back on?
12) Has technology affected your relationships with the people around you, whether close friends/family, or strangers you meet once? What kind of affect is this?
I have a hundred more questions to ask you about technology and your obsession with it, but to ask you to answer all of them is too much to ask. I'll leave you with these twelve questions. These are questions I'm sure you've heard many times before, but that does not make them any less important. I'm not going to lecture you on the pandemic of technology. I just want to raise awareness about how technology affects our lives and in what ways it has an affect. How has technology affected your life? Is that good or is it bad? Think about it. Your answer could change your perspective on technology.
Technology is taking over lives, for better or for worse. It is everywhere. We can't escape it and we cannot predict where it will lead us in the future. Think about your relationship with technology: Do you want to change it?
