Technology is supposed to make life easier, and in some ways it certainly has done that. Here are 10 things guestblogger Shaun Chatman has learned about how too much technology can complicate our lives.
Note: this is a guestpost from a blogger in Florida about technology. Thanks Shaun.
Technology is supposed to make life easier, and in some ways it certainly has done that. Without modern medicine, people wouldn’t expect to live well into their 80s and 90s. They’d feel like 40 was a nice, long life. In other ways, though, technology has complicated so many aspects of modern life. Here are 10 things I’ve learned about how too much technology can complicate our lives.
1: I’m Always at Work
If you have a high-stress job, you can forget about ever getting away for a real vacation. Just 10 years ago, I could tell my boss that I didn’t get her message because I was out of the house. Today, though, she knows I have a phone with me at all times.
2: I am Infinitely Stalkable
Forget about keeping secrets. Thanks to the Internet, everyone who can type is a private investigator. If I had a bad breakup a couple years ago, tomorrow night’s date will know about it. If I got a DUI in college, potential employers will find out.
We are, in other words, infinitely ‘stalkable.’ Our private lives now mean nothing.
3: That Means Everyone Else is Just as Stalkable, Too
Unfortunately, that means we also have the ability to learn intimate details about people we barely know. That sounds fun at first, but just wait until it interferes with your ability to make decisions.
Think of it this way: I’m scrolling through Facebook pictures to check out a girl I’m going out with this weekend. Then I see a picture of her seemingly making out with two guys at the same time. Or maybe I see a picture where she looks terrible. Or perhaps I learn she was once married to an athlete with whom I will never, ever be able to compete.
Yep, technology just seriously complicated my life.
4: I’m so Lazy, I Might Literally Die
Having T-Mobile cell phone coverage that lets me travel the world and stay connected should mean that I get out of the house more, right? Unfortunately, technology also makes it easy for me to sit on the couch getting fatter and lazier.
Barring any unforeseen accidents, I’ll outlive my great-grandfather. Me and the other 35 percent of Americans who’ve gotten fat, however, might lead shorter lives than our parents. If I do outlive my dad, it’s probably because I’ve let doctors replace half of my body with cybernetics. I admit that it’s kind of cool to be part machine, but only when it gives you super-human strength.
5: I Have No Idea What to Watch on TV Tonight
If you’re older than 30, you can remember a time when you only had, say, 100 channels from which to choose. Back then, your parents marveled at the wealth of options because, when they were kids, they had one or two channels if they had TVs at all.
Now that I have literally hundreds of cable channels — not to mention Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon — I can’t decide what to watch. I’d almost prefer having one channel. That way, I’d just turn on the TV and watch whatever was on. Or I’d go outside and stop being so fat.
6: I Can’t Stop Myself
If a good band puts out a new album, I cannot stop myself from listening to it online before it even gets released. I know that this diminishes my listening experience (I can vaguely remember waiting until midnight to purchase new albums at the record store), but I can’t stop myself. The same goes for movies. I can’t help it.
Of course, downloading copyrighted material potentially has bigger consequences. Anti-piracy groups often sue offenders for thousands of dollars. What am I supposed to say? “The computer made me do it?” It’s true, but I doubt it will hold up in court.
7: I Have Zero Patience
My computer can download an HD movie in about five minutes. Wikipedia answers every trivia question in seconds. I can even use a smartphone app to preheat my oven before I get home from work.
I now have zero patience with the world. It’s a problem well beyond the scope of yoga, meditation, massages, and antidepressants.
8: My Mate is Second Rate
The Internet has one ultimate goal: to collect video (pictures aren’t good enough) of every human being… naked. But as long as you know how to focus on the attractive ones, that should be a good thing, right?
Except that the videos I see online aren’t real. Nothing is real. People have been airbrushed and tweaked to the point that they’re not even people. That means when I look at my girlfriend, I can’t help but compare her to women who don’t even exist. She seems second-rate, simply because she exists in real life.
9: I Know How Many Cats You Have
You (yes, you) have tweeted so much about your cats/dogs/kids/book clubs/annoying colleagues/etc. that I know things about you I don’t want to know. That means we have nothing to talk about when I see you in public.
I have two options: either I ask questions I already know the answers to, or I stare at you blankly while you get nervous and check for the nearest exit. It would be better if we just knew less about each other, so that we could talk like human beings have done for 200,000 years or so.
10: I’ve Drunk-Dialed Everyone on My Contact List, Relatives Included
Okay technology, here’s a chance to redeem yourself. I have now drunk-dialed everyone in my phone’s contact list. If someone can make an app that will test my speech for signs of inebriation, I’ll scratch this complaint off my list. Until then, you explain to my Aunt Margaret why I called her a “sexy beast” on New Year’s Eve, because I don’t even know where to start.
Technology and I have a love-hate relationship. What are some of the ways that technology complicates your life?
Image courtesy of Andy Hay/Flikr
About the Author
Shaun Chatman is a well published author on many authority sites. He lives in Dunedin, FL, and spends his free time playing with his kids or advising friends on tech, gadgets, finance and travel.