I imagine it is a tad ironic that I am writing this on my computer, but that is the very point that I am trying to dig into. So let's dive right in, shall we?
Technology is opening all kinds of windows for the youth of today, and even for the youth of yesterday. With a few small clicks and loading screens, I have created a way for my voice to be displayed to any person comes across this page. The Internet has given us all megaphones, and we can choose to use them for whichever means we want. We can create deep, thought provoking questions for others to ponder over. We can say dirty words and giggle with our friends. We can send letters to any board member or politician we choose without any inconvenience. We can even communicate with relatives that are literally thousands of miles away -- a connection that would have been impossible for many in years past. With this voice so greatly and easily made boisterous, what are we sacrificing to get there?
A friend once told me that we should all get to know our neighbors. It really got me thinking. In order to be sitting at my computers writing this blog, I am missing out on a thousand different opportunities that might await me outside of my house. How well do we get to know people when a good amount of our conversing is done through print? So much is missing; so much of reality and necessity is abandoned for convenience.
Children could be gaining a wealth of knowledge through new and exciting mediums. I myself have taken a huge interest in the Biography channel and Wikipedia, which give me every information about a person of interest that I could ever want. But in order to learn how these people were able to get to the state that warranted a televised biography or a large Wikipedia page, I am losing out on learning about what is making Frank or Jill from the neighborhood tick. I am sure the same type of scenario could be said about me reading biographies instead of watching them, so media cannot be at fault. The problem is, though, that with this information so readily and handsomely made available, it becomes more than a hobby. We can have any question answered in a heartbeat, but are we losing our heartbeats in order to do it?
I have always been against change -- I stand firmly behind the old adage, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". This clearly impacts my confusion over technology, since I feel that the generation before us was able to be successful without all of the things that we have. Can you imagine if the Kennedy assassination took place today? The blogging would never stop, the Wikipedia pages would be overloaded, and the Internet conspiracy theorists would unite at an alarming rate; the "factual information" regarding the killing would be everywhere, and it would be immediate. How would that have changed history? Or are we better off not knowing?
I wish I didn't need technology but I have been conditioned to depend on it. It is hypocritical for me to explain this over an Internet blog, but that is the root of the question. Is this a better way of life? One that allows us to have a podium to spew anything and everything from the privacy of our own homes while our social and oratory skills are dropping faster than the stock market in our current economical times. I'll leave you to mull it over. Is knowledge truly power or is ignorance as blissful as I have heard?
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