Today's generation of children are considered 'Digitial Natives.' This simply means that children, in today's society, have been raised to understand and utilize technology nearly everyday, in some way. However, the baby boom generation could be considered the opposite, 'Digital Immigrants.' Ostensibly there is a huge disparity between these generations, and in order to keep up in society being technological savvy is a pre-requisite to almost anything we do (texting, emailing, facebooking, blogging, online shopping, etc).
Although technology and the use new media certainly has its benefits, I find that it makes life much more stressful. For example, I lost my cell phone the other week. If any of you are like me, my phone is my LIFE LINE! I have nearly every contact in my phone, along with their personal information. I stressed out for a few days while I attempted to retain all my contacts. I was unlucky at retrieving the contacts in my phone, but I did get a new phone and the same mobile number. But, I'm still trying to find the contacts I lost and it still has me stressing. I've become so dependent on 'technology'a nd the use of my cell phone that when it comes to living without one, it's nearly impossible for me.
To extrapolate the complexities that technology plays in my life, let's talk about facebook...
Ok, so I'm actually an addict to facebook, I will admit! I added facebook nearly 4 years ago when i was in college (when it was ONLY open to college students). Now, the facebooking network has expanded to people all over the world, of any age. As I use facebook for the network effect it serves, I still find it extremely hard to keep up with...and when i do keep up with it, I feel like I'm wasting my time just 'stalking' other people. And now, not only is facebook the sole networking figure on the web, but there is twitter, myspace, web2.0, LinkedIn, AOL IM and other international web networks. As a member of several of these, I find it hard to keep up with conversations and people in the different networks I belong to. But, I also feel that if I'm not part of a network, then I'm missing out on communicating or contacting people. I find that as the growth of web technology becomes so rampant, yet neccessary, it's increasingly harder to keep up with it too.
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I guess it can work either way. Clay Shirky tells us a good story about someone who also lost her mobile and found again thanks to the new social web community and its tools. Thinking about mobile, I've lost mine too twice in one day last week. It got me thinking, how much we rely on those little comm devices. Few years back we could leave home free of worries not having any means to call or be contacted by someone, now we go back immediately if we forget our mobile, and if we can't we freak out.
ReplyDeletei think technology simplify and also complicate our lives. for example mobile phone, i just love the technology of it like u nearly can do everything in one tiny little machine !! that is just amazing!!
ReplyDeletebut in some way i hate it as well...like every time my friends and family call me they just assumed i will pick up the call..in any time and any places.
if i didn't pick it up they will just ask "what are u doing" and "where are u" etc...... for me sometimes it is like a tracing machine............