Everyone and their grandmother has a cell phone these days. Or a laptop. Or an MP3 player. It’s just so convenient to be able to check your e-mail whenever you need to, or listen to that Incubus song that’s been running through your mind all day as you walk to your humanities discussion group. But convenience breeds complacency, and complacency leads to idleness. When does technology become too invasive? When does staying on top of the latest sports updates turn you into an addict awaiting another fix?
When does technology take a normal member of society and turn him or her into just another drone?
Back in the good old days of middle school, I got my first e-mail address. At first, I checked it a hundred times a day, just like any other kid playing with a new toy. Then, as I got more used to seeing that empty inbox every time I hit the “check mail” button, I began to lose interest. I saw my friends every day, and when I wanted to hang out over the weekend, I used the land line to call them, just like everyone else. But as I’ve gotten older and started making connections with people who live farther away, I’ve become increasingly dependent on e-mail as a cheap way of communication. I can’t just dial up relatives in other countries without completely destroying my phone plan. There are also the friends on Facebook I need to keep up with and the columns I read on Sports Illustrated and ESPN, The New York Times, and the Emerald. Frequently, a quick e-mail check drifts into an hour or so of Web surfing, IMing, and e-mailing.
The sad part is, even with that large chunk of my day being eaten up, I don’t consider myself even close to being run by technology. I’ve had my phone, which can’t access the Internet or take pictures, for years; I only take my laptop out of the house when I’m going to take notes in class or do homework with friends, and I don’t waste hours on games or Skype. Other people spend three to four hours a day on their computers, and with jobs becoming more and more communication-based, certain businesses require even more screen time.
A new teaching technique is being explored across the country: teaching through texting. The idea is that students are allowed and even encouraged to text in class, letting them exchange questions with each other while the teacher lectures. The idea is that by turning phones into a tool rather than a distraction, they will increase comprehension rates and stimulate interest in the material. It also introduces a unique connection between student and teacher. Being able to contact your professor at all hours of the day ensures that questions are answered promptly and keeps the learning process as smooth and rapid as possible. These ideas may all help promote learning, but what’s the downside? A clear dependency is being created, a reliance on technology that can’t be entirely healthy.
People may argue that advancing communication technology is bringing people together. The ability to chat with people on the other side of the globe instantaneously has to be a benefit, as it reduces that huge distance to the click of a mouse or a tap on your iPad. But what’s really happening is the creation of a whole new form of contact: impersonal interaction. Modern advances allow individuals to sit in their bedroom all day, eating microwaveable food and watching television, and talk to people online or via cell phone. They can exchange pleasantries, catch up on all the gossip, and even discuss breaking news. When they’ve done that, they can devote some time to managing their online business, type up some documents for Monday’s meeting and have a video conference with co-workers about that big project. All this can be accomplished without once seeing a human in the flesh, face-to-face.
We are a social species. We need that daily interaction with people, and texting or IMing doesn’t get the job done. This false closeness that the communication revolution has brought into our lives is really isolation.
Obviously, technology is here to stay. It does many things for us, things that are ingrained into modern society and make life easier and more enjoyable, but it also denies us so much more. Convenience and comfort are great, but don’t let them take away from your independence. Don’t allow technology to turn relationships into mouse clicks.
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