Technology is amazing! It creates streamlined, more efficient processes in corporate America. It connects people and families across the globe. It contains so much knowledge just waiting to be discovered. Yet…when are we TOO interconnected?
Nowadays, most people in the workplace are on a computer 8 hours a day. They come home at night to sit on the computer or gaming console. They need to catch up on email, news, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, blogs, and forums. If that isn’t overwhelming enough, we have smartphones which stream all this information to you instantly wherever you are! I feel like we are beginning to use real life to find anything amusing to share in the virtual world. As soon as something happens you can have it on the internet awaiting comments from other people. I’m tired of seeing people with a phone permanently attached to their hands because they simply MUST know what their friends are doing/thinking at the same moment. People act like if you aren’t online doing something you no longer exist and quickly get left behind.
Nothing is private anymore. If you try to keep to yourself, people think you are anti-social. You can’t just have a regular cell phone for phone calls and texts. You can’t just have an email address and check it once a day. It’s not enough anymore.
I always felt that if any one of my old friends really wanted to get in touch with me they most definitely had ways to do it. But I never heard from them. So, I didn’t have to keep track of their stories in my life. That may sound mean but I’m trying to explain that life was quietier and I wasn’t missing anything because there was nothing to be missed. I enjoyed being a part of the lives of people I was interacting with at work or college on a daily basis. I’m not saying that if I don’t see you for a certain amount of time you will get replaced with new friends. No. It’s just when lives take friends in different directions sometimes it’s okay to let go. Sometimes, it’s a special friendship that will last despite time or distance. Now, with Facebook and similar things you get bombarded with every else’s lives. You could simply ignore them but then what was the point of reconnecting with them.
Not everyone you meet in life has to become some sort of permanent fixture that you have to keep up on. I find it more refreshing to run into someone (*in real life*) and simply catch up the old fashioned way by talking. Then you go on your merry way. No strings attached.
If the world is this interconnected now I really am worried about how much time will be eaten up trying to stay on top of everything in the future. Children grow up seeing their parents waste time on forums. Children are encouraged to sit and play video games because it keeps them quiet. People are terrified that their children will get injured or sick so things are padded and sterilized. I think we are actually hurting the future. Look at the baby boomers! They were born to run around outside and get hurt! Experiment with theories and human interactions. As a result we have some of the most powerful companies of today. IBM, Apple, Microsoft, and Ford were founded by baby boomers. http://www.bbhq.com/whatsabm.htm
Yes, there are still some creative people looking for the next “it” thing. I’m not trying to say everyone is worthless.
The world is a little too close for comfort and I want space!
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I can’t wait to tweet about this.