By Ron Murdock
It’s a fact that technology is here to stay, and what it will be like in the future remains to be seen. While a lot of good quality information can be brought up in a short period of time, the same can be said of data that is questionable if not a complete waste of time to read. I’ve been seeing a lot of people walking somewhere while totally engrossed with their hand held gadget, oblivious to what is going around them. Distracted driving is bad, will distracted walking become a problem too?
I can see technology becoming the latest addiction, if it isn’t all ready, if people don’t get a handle on it at the expense of setting other things to do aside. It says something when Steve Jobs didn’t let his children use an iPad. Why was this? There are times to set hand held devices on the table and find other things to do.
A problem I see is when doing research from Inter-Net websites is that all the work is done for a person. It’s a temptation to stop figuring out things on your own when you can Google or Yahoo to find needed answers. It’s almost to the point that mysteries of the universe can be found on either website. The Inter-Net is a very useful learning tool but when and if technology is lost or unavailable for any length of time then what happens?
A drawback with the latest technology is that curiosity, thinking and learning may fall to the wayside. At one time a person actually had to read or talk to someone to find something out. One more things that could be lost is patience. Instant gratification comes at the click of a mouse. People grit their teeth in frustration if the information they want doesn’t load up in less than five seconds. Is this what the real world is becoming?
One thing a person needs to do is push themselves away from the computer desk. There is a time where going outside to get some exercise is of paramount importance. Exercise keeps a lot of health problems at a minimum or eliminated. Turning off hand held gadgets is good manners when in a social setting of some kind like a date or classroom where concentrating on the matter at hand is a priority. Nobody really likes being ignored or distracted. Technology is good and useful but there is a time and place for it.
