In February, I attended the Heritage Competition at LeTourneau University, where I will be attending in the fall. Part of the competition for the scholarship was an essay. It is not very long, but I thought it would work well as a blog post. It talks a lot about the seldom-heard disadvantages that technology can bring.
In the recent years, the world has seen an explosion in technology and digital information. 10 years ago, a gigabyte of information on a computer was considered unnecessary, yet today a gigabyte isn’t enough even for an 8 year-old’s mp3 player. Terabytes, which are equal to 1000 gigabytes, are quickly becoming the new standard. 10 years ago, the smallest cell phone was the size of a 6-inch subway sandwich, and this only made calls. Now, the ever popular iPhone is a tenth of the size of the first cell phone and functionality wise is just short of the computer. Within the next couple of years, video chatting such as Skype will become commonplace, even while walking along the streets. As you and many others can see, these technologies provide us greater power in information than ever before.
In the recent years, the world has seen an explosion in technology and digital information. 10 years ago, a gigabyte of information on a computer was considered unnecessary, yet today a gigabyte isn’t enough even for an 8 year-old’s mp3 player. Terabytes, which are equal to 1000 gigabytes, are quickly becoming the new standard. 10 years ago, the smallest cell phone was the size of a 6-inch subway sandwich, and this only made calls. Now, the ever popular iPhone is a tenth of the size of the first cell phone and functionality wise is just short of the computer. Within the next couple of years, video chatting such as Skype will become commonplace, even while walking along the streets. As you and many others can see, these technologies provide us greater power in information than ever before.
We have experienced a great revolution in the world of data and music. With 3g networks, Wi-Fi and Google, tons of information is at our finger tips. We can find the nearest restaurant, where our friend is, or even that a group of Unicorns is a cornucopia. Technology has enabled us to keep our whole music library on our iPods. With 64 gigabyte players, more than 4 days of music can be stored on a single device. And unfortunately, humanity has mirrored this fact, and we spend ever-increasing amounts of time listening to music in public. Instead of taking in the sights and sounds of an early morning run, we choose to stay in our own little world of music. Even listening to a CD in a room with the door shut cuts one off from his family; parents and siblings cannot even yell to get your attention.
Probably the greatest thing that technology does is keep us more in touch with people. Email, texting, and Facebook allow us to keep in touch with any person with text. Well-loved relatives from far away are available at the push of 10 or 11 buttons. Video chatting even allows us to look at that person’s face, which provides even greater advantages. One of the greatest advancements we will see is video chatting. Through Skype, and Facetime on the iPhone, we can see people we love face to face, even on a mobile device. Through the years, this technology will become ever more flexible, and soon we will be able to use it all of the time. However, as Spiderman points out, ‘with great power comes great responsibility’.
The fundamental premise is this: face to face conversations while in the same place are ultimately the best mode of communication, and these technologies are just substitutes that will never fully live up to face to face communication. With this premise in mind, we begin to see some of the social aspects that are diminished with the use of technology. Too often teenagers are disengaged with their families at the dinner table because of a texting conversation with their best friend. They will spend hours talking to their friend on the phone about a difficult situation at school or some drama, yet ignore their parents who are right down the stairs who would be the best help. Too often we fall into these traps that diminish our relationship with the people around us.
Check in later for part 2. :)
