For an engineer, I am notoriously late to adapt to new technology. I deliberated for months before finally starting a blog. I just discovered Twitter and FaceBook. I still don’t like text messaging.
But, when I finally do cave in, I completely lose all common sense. My BlackBerry might as well be another appendage. I don’t watch any TV shows live, everything (except for sports, of course) is DVR’d. I can’t watch non-HD television without getting a fuzz-induced headache. Anything less than PS3 ain’t worthy of being played. Terrestrial radio is a bitter pill to swallow once you’re used to Sirius XM. Does anyone actually still use CD’s now that iPods are in vogue?
I don’t say any of this to sound materialistic. Reality is, technological advances usually make life easier. I talk to friends on IM more than via phone. My mother has a Facebook page. Portable DVD players can make a miserable child perfectly content on a long road trip. This stuff generally improves your quality of life.
But sometimes I wonder if I’m too tethered to my electronic goods. I’ve had BlackBerry Withdrawal Syndrome when I’ve been forced to turn in my gadget at corporate retreats. Nothing is funnier than watching a bunch of grown folks go full-on “Pookie” when they are jonesing for their smartphones after an hour of having them forcibly confiscated in the name of undivided attention. It was sorta pathetic. I swear I heard our regional manager offer someone a bag of cheeseburgers at one point.
The flipside is that this technology makes us less impersonal and more scatterbrained. I have the attention span of a flea. I sometimes find myself on Twitter (like, literally right now as I type this) when I should be doing something more productive. And the cumulative effect of texting vs face to face human interaction is something many experts have attributed to the lack of social skills of many teens. It ain’t all good.
I guess my question is, if you needed to, could you do away with all your modern accouterments? If so, for how long before you offered someone a bag of cheeseburgers? Could you go back to having to use a pay phone to call someone? Could you write actual letters instead of emails? Would you be content reading the newspaper instead of blogs and podcasts? What about going to an actual store to buy a record rather than illegal downloads, bay-bee! iTunes? How about calling folks instead of texting? If you had to give all this stuff up, could you, and for how long?
Question: Could you give up all your gadgets? For how long? What’s one thing you absolutely could not give up?
Article by Average Bro
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{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
I too am a techno addict. I was one of the first people to have a two way pager back in the day and was a texting fool. Now I have the highest form of technological advancement….the Might iPhone. I swear if that thing could cook fried chicken and “put me to sleep at night”, I’d marry it. lol. It has everything I could ever want in a phone, and if it doesnt have it, I can download it. Every iPhone owner I know is like a walking commercial for the device. Its hard to remember life without my phone. So, that being said…I would not be able to live without my gadgets.
As a complete and total crackberry addict I must say I cannot go without. I ruined my curve running a 5k in the rain and while I waited for it to dry out I activated my old BB 7250. The B&W with the side scroll. I don’t know how I was every addicted to that thing but I was. But now, I’m addicted to my Curve. I had the world edition and thought life was great. Each step towards Blackberry Greatness is far more gratifying than the last. I love love love my phone.
I think it’s ridiculous to revere technology as some do so. Of course it is advantageous to keep up with technological advancements. But when it becomes a necessity to sustain, something is holistically wrong. I can definitely go without. There are some days that I purposely leave my phone or do not get on the computer- just to keep my mind right. Some time is just sacred. For some who are not media literate, being warped is dangerous. It first becomes a distraction, then before you know it, an addiction. There are more important things in my life that deserves quality time and effort. In some instances, parents give their child all these gadgets, but spend to time with them to teach them the fundamentals they need. By default, they learn because all this access to other networks (good or bad) influences their behavior.
lol…typo. Parents spend *no time with their children….
I just came out of denial that I’m addicted to my Blackberry….
I can’t give up my flip phone! Its a nokia, and its my lucky phone! Never giving it up, cant live without it. And if I ever upgrade, I’ll use it as a phone book. My secret phone book, lol. Every man needs one.
I’m completely addicted to my Blackberry. Once it was broken and I had to wait for one in the mail… I bought one from sprint until it came then returned it (as it was with in the 14 day period)… My name is Sharri, and I. Am. A. (Proud) CrackBerry.
Man, no that I’m on this Yammer I don’t see myself letting go….the hype done started all over again.