I have pondered for quite some time now, a simple premise. I seriously wonder, as technology rockets ahead at break-neck speed, will we somehow chose to digress to simplicity in other areas of our lives?
This hypothesis might seem silly to you. But have you ever felt overwhelmed by technology? Have you ever felt like you are always on the go? Can you live without your cell phone or internet connection? How does this affect your ability to relax?
My personal belief is that when a device becomes overly complex to use, a certain anxiety develops and the devices usefulness comes into question. Our world is full of gadgets. And at the speed at which innovations are brought to market, one barely has time to learn a new device before it becomes obsolete. We are so connected that I have to wonder if it is now societally progressing to a point of burgeoning upon mass mental illness. This perplexes me, and should concern you as well.
Because my vocation deals with extremely complex computer code and high technology daily, I find myself adjusting other things in my life to compensate. My father resolved a portion of his life's unwanted distractions by purchasing 10 blue suits and 10 white shirts. He only owned black socks. He had 10 Red ties, 5 pairs of black Italian Loafers and 3 black belts. He claimed that by creating a wardrobe that reflected his favorite attire, he always looked good and never spent a second worrying about what to wear. As my life becomes more complex, I am beginning to see the wisdom in his simplification of the mundane.
Along those thoughts, I have developed a theory. I believe that as technology complicates our lives, our human psychology will seek balance by choosing to simplify the most basic elements of our existence. How far will it go? I'm not quite sure. I can certainly imagine a preference to a quaint, earth friendly cave with a thermal efficient solar glass front wall, simple sturdy furniture and a simple 96" high def. 3D flat screen with the audionics resonating through the natural stalactites; to that of my congested city apartment.
I want to know how you feel about this topic.
Dr. Macon,
ReplyDeleteI feel the same. It seems the more connected we become through technologies like Facebook, Twitter, cellular email, texting and voice mail; the more distant we become.
Is constant hyper-contact really healthy?
And what of our humanity? I watched a man stumble over a homeless guy. He did so because he was texting someone on his iPhone. Did he say he was sorry? No! He cussed at the man, told him to get a job, and kept on walking.
Life is what we make it. Technology is great. I just think every device needs to come with a moral guide that describes how to use the device while remaining connected to the real world around us.
- Uri
Dr. Macon and Uri,
ReplyDeleteYou guys are right on. This topic should be discussed in the main stream media. This information needs to get out and be acted upon.
I was just having a conversation about this, how the more technology advances the more distant and anti=social we become.
ReplyDeleteI just recently, after years of resistant made the leap and got my first smart phone (the iPhone)... under the guise that it would make me more productive. And maybe to a point it has. But now I find myself with the ability to check my email during a dinner out with my fiancee, or worse yet dictate a text message while driving... seriously there's an app to dictate a text message... why won't you just make the phone call?! And yet I'm doing it.. because I can.
Now, obviously I love being able to update my blog while waiting in line, or getting reminders no matter where I am of things I need to do.
But there is internal struggle I can feel building up when I've been too 'connected' and need to get away from it all.
Life keeps moving and for those of us who grew up in the internets infancy we know there's something else out there...
but how do we instill this sense of 'needing to get away from the internet and technology' in the children who don't know any better?
I wholeheartedly feel as though we will undoubtedly digress to some extent in the way that we live life. With our lives becoming easier and easier, its plain to see that we will become lazy as a result. Look at our vehicle technologies for example, we barely have to move around on our own now.
ReplyDeleteI suppose I see what you're saying, starfylegend. However, I'm not exactly sure about if I fully agree with what you're saying. I think that we may be able to advance in the future without becoming lazy in every aspect.
ReplyDeletetalking from personal experience, I think technology has actually helped my social life,contrary to what other people say.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the introduction of the social media has actually made me more antisocial
ReplyDeleteI dont agree, the internet as a whole has made a lot of changes in my business and social life , but I must agree that it isnt the same for a lot of people.
ReplyDeleteI have a friend who has 50,000 online fans and friends, but can only count 5 good friends in the real world. That's not a good one . He is now a complete introvert, Thanks to the social media.
ReplyDeleteTechnology is both a good and bad thing. But unfortunately technology is also making us more stupid and lazy.
ReplyDeleteUri - Why should we have a device that guides our morals? It's something that comes from within ourselves - not because someone made us do it.
ReplyDeleteWell we have definitely evolved from the caveman area. Technology will always continue to advance due to our fascination with it.
ReplyDeleteYou know, I was actually watching a TV show where this family had a house in a cave. But it was no ordinary caveman house - it was this gorgeous quadrouple storey home!
ReplyDeleteI don't think this will ever happen. I mean look at the world today we are surrounded with so much technology and yet our life is more complicated than ever before. Technology makes our life more complicated.
ReplyDeleteWe can only simplify our life when we take a time capsule and go back into the past where there were no technological gadgets.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a good topic that can be debated about because the process of life and technology are interconnected at some stage. Hence, when the technology becomes too advanced, life becomes too complicated.
ReplyDeletei agree that technology is good thing but it also make us lazy,technology has an advantage, adn disadvantage. it can create and destroy as well. we should use it according to what its really use and maximize it too. and we should also be disciplined enough to know whats right and wrong.
ReplyDeleteTheir minds may be not only more powerful than ours but may also employ different cognitive architectures or include new sensory modalities that enable greater participation in their virtual reality settings.
ReplyDeleteTechnology is developing in rapid phase and this had an effect in all the latest electronic items. Mobile phones are now having enhanced features and ring tones in mobiles are attracting people all over the world.
ReplyDeleteRobotics are essentially needed to carry out functions in different industrial sectors. This article provides information about several advantages of robotics.
ReplyDeleteI only want to mention, Robotics engineer average salary is a major concern for people looking forward to a career in robotics. So here's an article that gives you a fair idea of the salary of a robotics engineer.
ReplyDelete"It seems the more connected we become through technologies like Facebook, Twitter, cellular email, texting and voice mail; the more distant we become.(Uri)"
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with that. When I was in my elementary days, I love writing letters to my former classmates, friends, cousins, and other relatives. That's the way of our communication and we always get updated with each other. I had to do so much effort writing. But nowadays, there are cellphones, computer, internet, and other gadgets that we can use to communicate. I notice that even if he have now the fast ways to reach someone, we still don't maximize their use. Maybe, because we are now more focused on many modern things.
I hope one day, I will receive a written mail (snail mail) from a friend.
Let's use technology to build stronger relationships.
We cannot stop the innovation happening to our technology. Many things around us become complex. Sometimes we are overwhelmed with the changes and developments. We can still live simply though; do the things we used to do, use the things we used to handle, eat the food we used to eat, etc.
ReplyDeleteLife can be simple in the middle of this unstoppable changes in this world.
Technology isn't overwhelm me at all.But i cant live without any cell phone and computer.
ReplyDeletetechnology make life more simple.But more complicated at the same time.
with technology,we can communicate with japan.
but because of the nuclear technology,it is making us panic by now.
Technology is good and bad. Last night I went out with friends for dinner. The majority of the crowd were young (probably college students) while there were 3 tables of working adults. What was really saddening to see were the 3 tables of working adults were really engrossed in conversation. The college students? They were all engrossed doing their own things even though the table was full and they were seated next to each other and across the table. They were playing with their phones and other things and not talking to each other.
ReplyDeleteAs they say, technology can help us. But complete reliance will also kill humanitity through laziness, lack of communication and interaction, and lack of thinking.
Nowadays, because of the influence of computer, internet, and other gadgets, children don't have time to go outside their houses. No chance to run, to jump, to chase, and to play with other kids within their neighborhood (maybe because the kids are also busy in front of their computers). They lack on physical activities. So, they should, once in awhile, go outside and take a deep breath, feeling the freshness of the air while walking around their places.
ReplyDeleteTechnology is very useful to human. But sometimes, it also lets people to be lazy. One example are the students who study. I notice some high school students that when they are given a research assignment, they just browse the internet, copy and paste some paragraphs without reading the contents of it. Yeah, it's fast to do, but is it the right information? It can be yes, and it can be also no.
ReplyDeleteIf there comes a time that we feel tired because life becomes complicated with the technology that we have, try not to use any personal gadget you have. Don't use your cellphone nor your computer. Maybe you can relax for a moment, but then you will probably realize how important technology is in making our daily activities lightly. :)
ReplyDeleteYea, life will decrease in areas, it always has. For example... If you got something that replaces another, then the one that was replaced decreases, simple math. Sometimes it could be good and others it could be bad. So i believe it wont effect us bad.
ReplyDelete