Day Fifty-Seven: The Technology Conundrum

Ever notice how technology is supposed to bring us closer together but it actually succeeds in isolating us even further? I, for one, am getting sick of all the high tech gadgets out there. iPod, iPhone, iTunes, Blackberry, DS, Blue Tooth, wi-fi, laptops, wii, gps, google, Facebook, ebay: you name it and every single one of us is addicted to some techno-thingy or another. What has the technological bandwagon provided for us? A faster, more expedient way to waste time, spend money and ignore the people around us. Doesn't sound so cool when you look at it that way, does it?

I can't count the number of times that my husband has walked through the door after a long day at work, said "hello" and then proceeded to stare into the black hole of his Blackberry. They aren't called CrackBerries for nothing. It makes me completely crazy when he does that. Unless it runs out of charge or I hide it, he is constantly connected to work. No real down time does not a rested man make.

Not that he is the only culprit in my house. I have been guilty on many occasions of staring into the voids known as my email, my ebay and Facebook to the exclusion of all that is going on around me. I get hyper-focused on my beautiful flat screened iMac. My children could set off a bomb directly behind my computer chair and I bet I wouldn't take my eyes off the screen long enough to put the fire out. Just today, my three year old literally grabbed my face so I would stop typing long enough to pay him my undivided attention. That quickly put things in perspective for me.

Because my husband and I are addicted to our own technological toys of choice, it makes it hypocritical of us to chastise our children when mired in their own technological pursuits. My nine year old is absolutely addicted to video games. It doesn't matter if it is on the computer, the wii or his nintento DS (thanks, Grandma Alice!). He will not stop playing unless he is physically stopped. I once could not find him in the house. I searched all over and no one had any idea where he had gone. I found him in the playroom closet, in the dark, on a beanbag chair playing his DS. He told me playing was more fun in the dark where it is quiet and no one could bother him. I was a bit disturbed on many levels with that declaration.

Our home is but a microcosm of our larger society. Many would rather catch up with old friends on facebook rather than actually getting together and having a conversation. Too many people cannot ever leave work behind. The constant checking of email, toting laptops and answering cell phones on breaks, on weekends and on vacations cannot be good for one's state of mind. Some people prefer to shop for hours on a computer rather than actually step outside and interact with the actual products, let alone the people who sell them. With a click of a mouse, the whole world is open for viewing. The masses seek not information, knowledge and understanding. The great speed of the Internet seems to be reserved for the latest Hollywood scandal or the most lurid, violent news. Our basest selves are being served not our greater good.

All in all, I think that the great strides in technology have made our lives more frenzied, more solitary and more selfish. If we could use all this technology as mere tools for enhancing our lives and not the focus of our existence, we would all be much better off. Turn off all this stuff once a day. Put it away. Hide it. Play with your kids, talk to your spouse, go for a walk and meet your neighbors. Technology cannot replace human face-to-face interaction if we want to retain our humanity.