Technology Affects on Life
Has computer and communication technology allowed us to connect more deeply with life? Or, as we become more connected with this technology, are we becoming more disconnected from life?
As someone who has made his life’s work the study of human behavior and who is fascinated by the nexus of humanity and computer and communication technology, my interest lies in how the lives of ordinary people (defined as those not involved in these technology industries) are impacted by this technology.
When teenagers tell me that they have friends all over the world whom they’ve “met” on the Internet, I pause. When NBC’s David Gregory has to tweet that he’s having a bagel before he goes on the air, I wonder. When I see people walking down the street with headphones on, I question. When research has shown that young people spend nearly six hours a day in front of a screen outside of school, I worry. I ask myself, is that life they’re engaging in? I guess it depends on how you define “life.”
I see life as connecting with the world directly rather than through a conduit of computer and communication technology. Life is moving something other than my fingers, and experiencing the world with all of my senses, not just with my eyes and ears. It is about connecting with others in a substantial way. Life is about caring deeply about things that directly impact my world. What makes life life for me is its inherent imperfection and untidiness, its intermittent chaos and uncertainty, its occasional blood, sweat, and tears. Can we find that with this kind of technology? I’m not so sure.
Computer and communication technology just feels too safe, too clean to me. Whether the anonymity of blog comments, the false intimacy of online relationships, or the ease of hitting Delete or Exit at will, we’re able to hold life (as I define it) at arm’s length with this technology. There’s little messiness, little disorder (except when I get disconnected!), only the linear perfection (well, maybe
As someone who has made his life’s work the study of human behavior and who is fascinated by the nexus of humanity and computer and communication technology, my interest lies in how the lives of ordinary people (defined as those not involved in these technology industries) are impacted by this technology.
When teenagers tell me that they have friends all over the world whom they’ve “met” on the Internet, I pause. When NBC’s David Gregory has to tweet that he’s having a bagel before he goes on the air, I wonder. When I see people walking down the street with headphones on, I question. When research has shown that young people spend nearly six hours a day in front of a screen outside of school, I worry. I ask myself, is that life they’re engaging in? I guess it depends on how you define “life.”
I see life as connecting with the world directly rather than through a conduit of computer and communication technology. Life is moving something other than my fingers, and experiencing the world with all of my senses, not just with my eyes and ears. It is about connecting with others in a substantial way. Life is about caring deeply about things that directly impact my world. What makes life life for me is its inherent imperfection and untidiness, its intermittent chaos and uncertainty, its occasional blood, sweat, and tears. Can we find that with this kind of technology? I’m not so sure.
Computer and communication technology just feels too safe, too clean to me. Whether the anonymity of blog comments, the false intimacy of online relationships, or the ease of hitting Delete or Exit at will, we’re able to hold life (as I define it) at arm’s length with this technology. There’s little messiness, little disorder (except when I get disconnected!), only the linear perfection (well, maybe