Are we trapped by the shackles of technology?

By Malu Fernandez

In the last decade we have become a society of instant gratification. We can?t actually help ourselves because as technology evolves so do we. Everything from communication to shopping has become easier, faster and instantaneous. But are we missing the big picture?

I remember the first cell phone I had in the nineties?it was so huge, and I really just bought it in case of emergencies and pretty much left it in the car because lugging it around was a burden on my back and my purse. Today everyone and their mother have a cell phone that would fit in the back pocket of their jeans. It suddenly became a networking instrument, used to send numerous greetings via SMS messages. Even announcements or invites are now sent instantaneously via SMS, creating a new type of marketing.

Although I love the technology, it can be a double-edged sword. For instance, just think of how many marriages are affected by SMS. It?s a cheating husband?s wet dream! I can vaguely remember what it?s like to live without a cell phone and how we all got by without it. I miss receiving little personal notes and letters from people I care about because nowadays they just send it via text or e-mail. Don?t you miss being unreachable when you?re having a personal day for yourself to regroup or simply just to relax? Now everyone can reach you anytime. With the cell phone, everyone can reach you 24/7. Even if you don?t answer the phone you will get a text, and how many of us really shut the phone off, anyway? What I find disturbing though is that most of us can?t physically turn off our cell phones because we feel disconnected to the world. We are chained to our cell phones and simply have a difficult time being away from it.

Cell phones are just one part of today?s technological advances. How many of you remember what it?s like to do your work or homework on actual paper instead of typing it up on your PC or laptop? When I was in college, the computers were just starting to boom. Maybe only two of my classmates had it and I personally spend my money on clothes and shoes rather than on a computer called Apple/Mac. That was the late ?80s and typing on a word processor instead of a typewriter was a luxury. We would type on a little screen with a black background and green lettering. Now everyone has a laptop or access to a PC. We can Skype or video chat with friends and family abroad for free without paying long distance bills. How I wish they had that when I was in school because my phone bill was horrendous! It was the same as the rent on the flat I rented near the school.

Now a lot of us feel empowered because we can voice our opinions via Blogs, shop online, download music and videos all in one click. But with all this power, have we forgotten what it?s like to reach out to a friend in person, go to a retail outlet and try on the goods as we shop or actually browse music stores for the latest release. Living in today?s world where everything can be had in the blink of an eye has its advantages. We have become more efficient with work, we now have a global reach and life has generally been easier. So clearly you may think that there is no downside right? It may seem like it but think about it: Are we really missing the forest for the trees?

With today?s technological advances, some relationships have become almost clinical? gone are the days of poetic romantic letters, and personal visits from our friends and loved ones have become scarcer through the years as they opt to communicate and visit via the Internet. The Net has been used to hawk porn, encourage deviant behavior, bring out all the crazy people to voice their opinion via blog, encourage anarchy and terrorism. You name it the Web has it. There are even Web sites that give you an alternate reality by creating your own avatar so you can disassociate yourself from your own reality. Twenty-five years ago all of this would have sounded absurd but here we are now.

So like I said, the technology today is a double-edged sword but does it do more harm than good? Decide for yourself. Personally I think that everything in moderation is good and a lot of today?s technology has given us a lot of conveniences. But we should learn not to shackle ourselves to technology. We should know when and where to shut our cell phones off or walk away from our computer. We should learn to keep healthy personal relationships without relying too much on technology. After all, a personal note is 10 times better than receiving a text?it shows that you took the time to think about the person you are giving the note to. Just remember; never forget about the beauty and simplicity of how our life used to be without all of today?s technology.