We depend on our technology. It depends on us. See, we had to turn it on in the first place, and now that we have, it is hard to both turn off and keep from climbing into our brains at night and hardwiring itself into minds. But this is besides the point.
Technology. Technology. Tech-nolllll-oooooo-geeeeeee. Say it with me.
Okay, that's enough of that.
It has come to my attention that the average person leaves the house in the morning with several pieces of technological nonsense on their person. I, myself, usually leave my room with three.
- Cell phone
(enables people to reach me at all times, giving me no escape whatsoever, therefore I leave it off nine out of ten times and say, "Oh, darn, forgot to turn the little rascal on" when mother leaves five voice messages telling me the purpose of a phone is to let others call you)
- Mp3 player
(enables me to mouth out the words to any song I wish, and even create a little dance as I move gleefully about my day, convincing everyone who catches me lip-syncing and dancing that I, yes, have succumbed to the madness)
- Laptop computer
(enables me to connect to the internet, share my thoughts, download my files, finish my work, store my photos, and to generally allow myself to drop all self respect as I am that nerdy guy who has to carry his special computer everywhere or else he feels part-naked)
Others have more than me, I'm sure. Some carry those weird little personal computer pads you write your notes on, as paper is so yesterday. Then there are those with the cell phone earpiece always in, and appear to be talking to themselves.
Admit it. Those people are hysterical. They say the strangest things out loud and we get to laugh.
BUT (yes, there is a but) what happens when it all goes down?
Recently, my mp3 player has fallen on hard times. Possibly dropping it several times has something to do with it. And my laptop's wireless has also taken a hit. Possibly due to dropping this several times as well. And my phone . . . well, no, that's fine. Just greasy.
Don't ask.
There comes a time when our bag of cybernetic tricks and tools spills open and, oh dear, technology seems to have failed us.
Actually, we dropped it, left it in the rain, forgot to turn it off, or surged three thousand pure voltes of electricity through it, so the argument can be made that WE have failed TECHNOLOGY.
Are you not glad you're reading this? Have a paradoxical day.
What do you do, at any rate, when this happens? Not the three thousand volts thing, but when technology breaks?
There's a gap. You're nervous. Because your phone won't ring incessantly, you feel lonely, don't you? You may even have to use . . . a HOUSE PHONE! The agony! Or perhaps you will have to content yourself by humming your own music. Let's hope you have a sense of tune.
There's nothing I can do about the laptop. Get over it.
Point is: we are dependent on technology. It is an integral part of our days, but not because we use it. Technology is like that pesky thirteenth finger that your mother and father gave you when they made love in a puddle of toxic goo - it was unwelcome at first, but now that it has shriveled up and vanished, you miss it.
If your phone doesn't ring, if your laptop isn't weighing down your back, and if your ear isn't clamped with a clip-on ear phone, you realize there is something missing from your day, something physically missing from your ordinary appearance.
And that worries us.
No comments:
Post a Comment