Can you hear me now?

I’ve noticed lately that a lot of people complain about the amount of time spent using technology. Some people think that we have become reliant on it and that we spend much more time than necessary using it. My problem isn’t how much time we spend using it, but simply howwe use that time. For informative and educational purposes, I think that technology is a great tool to use. I’ll be the first to admit that I run to the computer anytime I need to look something up, whether it be a recipe, a news story, or a historical fact. That type of use of technology isn’t taking away from our social or educational lives, as some may offer as an excuse for having a negative view towards technology. However, using the computer to sit in front of for hours to play on-line games, or “surf the web” isn’t healthy. That’s when we need to be outside, socializing, or educating ourselves.  Today, I went to have a consultation to get my wisdom teeth out. I met with the dentist for approximately 3 minutes. The other 35 minutes of my appointment were spent in front of a television watching a DVD with all the facts on wisdom teeth. Even the dentists are too busy these days to actually sit down one-on-one and do what they get paid to do: talk teeth. Also, have you ever found yourself in a situation where everyone (minus yourself) in a group is using their cellphone and it seems completely normal?  Since when is that normal? How is completely ignoring the people you are with to talk to someone else ‘more important’ an acceptable thing to do? Before cell phones, people would have to excuse themselves from a group or situation to make a phone call. Now, people just whip it out and text away, or talk without thinking its rude. Well, it is. Someone should teach a cell phone etiquette class.

Day One

After last night’s class, I started thinking more and more about how technology has changed over the years.  One statistic that really caught my eye during the video we watched was that a very large percentage of children by the age of four have already used a computer.  I think the reason that statistics like these, and others that show how young children are accustomed to technology these days, are scary is that this type of technology was not around when we were young.  On the other hand, I have had a computer in my home ever since I was born, and my parents tell me I used it as young as four or five to play games; since there was no such thing as the internet yet.  My earliest recollection of using the internet comes at about age 12 or so, which is a lot older than children these days that use the internet, but probably a lot younger than the age other classmates may have began.

Computers are not the only technology that has expanded over the years.  Cell phones, for example, are something that continue to surprise me.  I got my first cell phone at age 17-18, and it was one of those pre-paid TracPhones.  I didn’t get a Verizon cell phone plan until I was 20.  It is semi-understandable for my 14 year old cousin to have one, so that he can call his mom after sport’s practices to pick him up, but my cousin that is 7? Why does she need one?  Who is she even calling…Bert and Ernie?  When I was 7, I played with a $12 set of Lincoln Logs, not a $200 IPod or a $300 cell phone.  It’s things like this that scare me to think of what 20 years from now will be like.