Friday, July 10, 2015

Technology Is A Wonderful Thing, Or Is It?

Technology is a wonderful thing!  One can do so much from social media to marketing, and everything in between.  It's nothing to walk into a public place to find people talking on their cellphones, texting, facetiming, and more.  

I'm just as technology driven as the next person. We ditched our landline years ago and solely use cellphones because people can reach us wherever we go.  I have four different email accounts syncing on my phone, my Etsy account, Facebook, Google+, Pinterest, Twitter, and my dot com checking in.  I have apps for various stores sending sales reminders and/or coupons.  Other apps announcing late breaking news and weather, and more.  

There is something to be said about keeping up with current information and trends, and staying connected with others through the assistance of modern technology.  But when is the convenience of technology too much?  

Common sense should tell us to put the technology down when driving.  I can remember when I was learning to drive we weren't even allowed to listen to the radio as it was considered a distraction.  After too many accidents involving distracted drivers using cellphones, our state created a hands free law when driving, yet people still do it.  And now they've added to the law that you can't even use your mobile device at a stop sign or stop light.  Seriously?  Why do laws have to be made to make the use of hand held devices illegal when driving, when that should be common sense?  

Common sense and courtesy to those around you should tell us to disconnect from technology when dining out, or going into a hospital or doctor's office.  Yet everywhere I go lately, signs are posted asking patrons to turn off their cellphones and/or hand held devices in those places.  Attending conferences they ask everyone to turn off their cellphones, or put them on silent and to please exit the room if you need to take a call yet inevitably there will be interruptions/distractions from several individuals who "forgot" to silence their phones. Why do we have to be reminded, when it should be common sense and courtesy to others?  

My mother resisted purchasing an answering machine for her landline many years ago, as she felt if it was important then they'd call back.  And yet now if we send a text message and the recipient doesn't reply back immediately a level of frustration ensues. When the recipient never responds, we wonder if they got the text, so we call them.  My younger daughter is notorious for sending two or three text messages back to back and when I don't respond, she calls my phone then if I don't answer she proceeds to call my husband to let him know she was trying to reach me and I wasn't responding (all within a 5 minute window of time).  Seriously?  

The availability of a vast amount of information is at our finger tips, attention spans are decreasing, patience and endurance a thing of the past.  One on one, face to face social skills is greatly impacted by the use of technology.  Respect, privacy, and courtesy ceases to exist in our technology driven society.  

What are your thoughts about the impact and control technology has over social skills and society as a whole? 


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