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Technology continues to evolve, yet how we treat it seems to become more simplistic. Instead of appreciating and understanding its usefulness, do we lose ourselves in the novelty of it all? In a quest to connect, to we fail to reach those around us in the most effective way possible?
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iLove Have you seen your brother recently? How about your
boyfriend? Parents? College roommate? Have you seen a
commercial for the iPhone 4? If you have, you know that
you can see all of those people, so long as you have an
iPhone.
To purchase an iPhone, you not only get the
technological wonder and all the bragging rights that come
with it. Bundled along with this marvel is access to
hundreds of thousands of apps that can do everything from
guide you through NYC’s subway system to stave off
boredom by providing a virtual stapler for you to endlessly
punch.
The device itself is incredible. Not only can you now
speak with a person across vast distances, you can see
them in the palm of your hand. Yet there is more! This
device brings hope. (There truly is an app for everything.)
Watch any of the new iPhone commercials and you’ll see
two people, not just communicating across distances, but
sharing intimate moments via a Skype-like feature. Learn
you are soon to be a father, encourage your girlfriend after
a traumatic haircut, watch an ultrasound. It is all possible.
All you need is an iPhone. Oh... and let’s not forget, you
cannot wait. After all, what is the point of waiting to share
exciting news when you have a pocket miracle that can
Copyright 2011 [Michael Blankenship]. All rights reserved. 1
inform the world of your life’s developments with a quick
tap of the finger. Besides, you already waited four weeks
to get your hands on your new phone. Now that you have
it, use it! Never wait again.
But this is not a diatribe against modern technology or
the present culture. On the contrary, I am a big fan of
Apple. I am writing this on my mac right now. It is a great
company. They create incredible technology. Yet we often
lose ourselves in the expanse between our present world
and our virtual reality. Our technology is a gift that can
offer simplicity in an ever more complicated society. The
important factor, however, lies in our use of these devices.
Do we recognize that our toys are tools? Technology
serves as an extension of ourselves. I cannot speak with
my brother when he is away at school in Israel, so I see
him on Skype. I keep in touch with my college friends on
Facebook because we can no longer meet to go out for an
evening. Technology offers a portal through which our
physical limitations might be overcome. Remember back to
elementary school and the story of Archimedes and his
lever. He moved a massive warship with the use of a
pulley and rope - a feat that would have been impossible
without the aid of that simple technology.
This simple tool now reconstructs our approach to life.
Getting “Facetime” in your spare-time on a 3.5-inch
screen alters the understanding of the relationship when
other methods are available. Can your news about the
pregnancy wait until he gets home? Would not a face-to-
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face conversation (in the old-fashioned, physically present
sense) be a more appropriate conduit for that information?
Now, this topic has been discussed by figures far wiser
than me. Pick up any book by Marshall McLuhan or Neil
Postman and you will discover an extensive exposition on
the subject. What I present is not a revolutionary question.
I simply wish to ask if we could take the time to consider
what we say and how we say it. If I say “I love you” by
typing on a miniature keyboard to be sent via airwaves to
be received on your little pocket miracle, am I also saying
it when I meet you later in the day. Our technology can
bridge obstacles and offer wonderful opportunities for
reminders of the reason why we wish to overcome those
limitations. But like all things, this tool that offers the
ability of so much good, may also consume us and become
the idol of our affection. I love technology, but I love
people more.
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