Technology (week 7 #17)

The old adage says you have to take the good with the bad. This certainly applies to technology. I'm older than most of the current technology. My kids can't conceive of life without the technology with which they have grown up. We didn't get our first TV until I was about 10 years old! I survived without a lot of technology as a young person certainly. However, when I look back, I realize how totally dependent upon it I have now become. Any time of the day or night I can go online and be instantly gratified. I can transact all sorts of business at my convenience and without waiting in lines. I can play games. I can watch videos, listen to music, browse blogs! I can find the answers to questions that pop into my head. I am seriously annoyed when my Internet connection drops! I feel isolated. Technology has also improved health care and quality of life for millions of people. Through email and social networking friends and family are able to stay in regular touch using only a few minutes of their time if that's all they have available. Next door, across town or across the world. It makes no difference.
iHCPL has shown us some amazing technological resources.

That's the good stuff. Unfortunately, with technology the increase in fraudulent activities and identity theft is staggering. The horrible results from online interactions with strangers is frigthening. Technology has also made it much harder to communicate with real people when we need to interact with places of business. How many times do you feel like you're running in circles when trying to work your way through automated phone systems?! (By the way, I have found that almost always, regardless of the options presented by phone systems, if you press 0 (zero), you'll get through the a real person.) Those readings we did on Internet safety at the beginning of iHCPL are important to remember.

When it comes to quality, I think technology has lowered expectations especially with regard to information. Such a huge volume of material gets returned when you do a Google search, for instance, that many people don't bother trying to evaluate what they are reading and decide if the source is a reliable one or not.

After all is said and done, I think technology has changed the world for the better.