Having started life before the advent of the cassette tape, let alone cd's, mp3's, and the internet, how did I survive without a connection to the outside world for so long? I recently traded in my old cell phone on a new Blackberry and have found that I look at it as a necessity more than something that simply makes my life easier. Wait, you want me to go outside without being connected to my Facebook friends, or Twitter? You mean that I have to wait until I get back home after work to check my email? Email? How did I survive when I had to send a message to someone via U.S. Postal Service and wait weeks for a response?
My how far we've come in the last 20 years, but has the journey been a wise one? Should we be so dependent on technology and live our lives around being as connected as we are? What would happen to most of us if we lost these connections? Having recently watched Body of Lies, and seen so much television coverage of the Conficker Worm, this became more of a concern of mine. I began thinking about how crippled our society would be if we lost our grip on information technology and would anyone remember what to do without it. Would we, as a society, be able to function even if we remembered how to conduct our lives without the immediacy of information? Our banking system is already a shambles but could it function at all without this technology? What about the stock market, or our national defense?
I listened to a podcast this week that's put out by some video game industry people who have formed a new site called Out of the Game, and the title of the episode was Born before Digital. I'm a product of the generation that they discuss. The podcast is not for those with sensitive ears, but it is funny and does bring to light a lot of things about how the world has changed with regards to technology and the need for immediate information. I suggest that if you don't mind the occasional foul language, or childlike humor, you give it a listen. Especially if you were born before digital.
I'm not saying that I'm going to give up my Blackberry or Mac, but I think I might send a letter to my parents the old fashioned way within the next few days. It won't make me all nostalgic and won't really serve a purpose, but maybe it'll be enough to offset the fact that I'm blogging about it right now. The irony is that I'll probably still type it up on my laptop, and print out the label. Have we gone too far and could we ever go back? Only time will tell I suppose, but I hope that we never have to find out.
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