Oh my goodness! I cannot begin to explain how much technology has impacted my life. I purchased an iPad last month and it literally (not figuratively...and not in the "I literally ate a million tacos" kind of literally) use it as much as I physically can every day. I'm sure the shiny-new toy feeling will wear off one of these days but I do not see it anywhere on the horizon.
There are apps for video messaging, chatting (with friends in the US and abroad!), apps for social networking, a calculator where I can write equations and it transfers it to text for me, a recipe app that walks me through cooking step by step and times it for me, and just yesterday I found an app that will organize my library for me. Like literally (not the taco literally), IT WILL ORGANIZE ALL MY BOOKS. I can scan in my titles and it will create a searchable database of what I have which will make finding what I need so much easier and will literally (the taco kind) make my brain explode (last L-word use, I promise).
So back to my main point, technology has had a huge impact on my life, not just in the tools it brings (LIBRARYDATABASESOMG) but also in the way that it connects me to family and friends near and far. The internet, social networking, and personal devices (let us not forget the glory of the cellphone) have given us the opportunity to communicate quickly and often without necessarily confining ourselves to the traditional ways of conversation (you know...where two people talk with words and their voices and manners to each other). As Sherry Turkel mentions in her book and as is discussed in the NY Times article about it (
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/22/books/22book.html?_r=0), people are changing the way that they communicate with one another as a result of technology.
I wouldn't necessarily say that it is a bad thing though. Sometimes, it is sooooo much easier to text a yes or no question to that friend that goes on and on with an answer when you just need to know if you should buy those green shoes or not because OOHMYGODTJMAXXISCLOSING JUSTTELLMEWHATYOUWANT. But then other times, I do definitely find myself relying more on texting or messaging friends rather than calling people because it is just easier-- I can watch Family Guy and catch up with someone rather than (GASP) taking 20 minutes out of my evening to actually speak with someone. So while I don't think this reliance on technology to communicate for us is a bad thing in some situations, it is something that I want to cut back on when I can. Because, honestly, that friend is worth a thousand 20 minute conversations and our society as a whole seems to forget that sometimes-- that people around us are what is important.
In other ways, I am so grateful for technology because it gives me a chance to video chat with my family in North Carolina so I can just see their faces when I need it and to get silly texts from friends in the UK when I need to be taken down a peg. I can definitely see all sides of the arguments of how technology is impacting our lives but I think, as with all things, we need to do things in moderation and in healthy levels. So I'll put down the iPad and call my mom. Literally.
I enjoyed reading your post Amanda! I think we all are trying to find that balance between using technology and putting it aside to spend meaningful time with our family and friends. I do like that technology also helps us keep in touch with friends and family. Whenever one of my kids or my husband or myself goes out of town, we always spend time skyping with each other. And one of my favorite apps is Coach's Eye. I can film my kids (who are archers), send it to their coach who lives out of town, the coach can analyze the video with different marking tools, and then skype with them to show them how to improve their process! I have been able to reconnect with many old friends though facebook and one just invited our family to come stay with him in Switzerland.
ReplyDeleteAnd I really like the photo you posted -- Maximus! Maximus! Maximus!