I have been thinking a lot about technology.
Recently, I did not purchase unlimited minutes for my phone. When those minutes ran out, I was fine because I looked around my room and I still had my computer. Well, a few very short days later, my computer blew. Not blew as in there was smoke and fire, but the cord, which had just been fixed, short-circuited my computer.
So there I was. I didn't have a phone or a computer.
Such a first world problem, right?!
I decided to roll with the punches and my good friend let me check my email every night so I was set.
I was thinking today, while sitting in the ED at Highland (after getting unlimited minutes back on my phone) about how much we rely on technology as a society. Hospitals have gone digital with their records, patients sit on their phones or iPods the whole time (not that I blame them, stuck in an ED waiting for a Dr. or for their tests to get done), even I was sitting there on my phone texting people and making sure everyone knew we had made the drive because we were driving in a nasty blizzard.
Looking back over the last few days has made me appreciate human contact. Like having to go to a friend's room to talk to them or planning ahead to meet them for lunch. I realized that I have retreated into my room at times because technology has seemed so annoying to me. When someone is blasting their music, reading their texts out loud, checking their email/facebook, and trying to talk to someone else has just gotten to be too much for me. I retreated into my shell and didn't want to come back out.
I learned to enjoy books more. I got a lot farther in my knitting project, and I even got my homework done ahead of time. I was able to leave my phone behind and forget that it existed.
Technology, for me, was disconnecting me from people. What does it do for you? Does it connect you to others or does it hinder your day to day life?
I like this.
ReplyDeleteI've thought numerous times about how technology allows people to be easily not committed to their plans, because they can text to cancel (or say they'll be late) at the drop of hat.
I didn't have a phone until I was 18 1/2 because I didn't want one until I "needed" one for college. Before I got it I had the mentality of, "Texting is only good for when it's too noisy or too quiet to call." I realize that my actions have distanced from that mentality, but then I remember it and think, "Oh, I want to act on that mentality."
It's such an instant gratification issue to "need" to text someone NOW (just to tell them something funny/random) when they'll be seeing each other in a few hours.
I'm glad that I at least have LIMITED texting.
I agree. I didn't have a cell phone until I was 19 and even then I only got it because there was an incident where I was sick at work and needed someone to bring me home b/c I was blacking out but I couldn't call from anywhere. Now I just use my phone to text my friends that I'm on my way to lunch or something menial. I miss phone calls.
ReplyDeleteOh, I call a lot! =) For the fun of it, and for the times that it'll be more than 2 texts.
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