We thrive on our technology. We feel lost without our gadgets and cannot wait until upgrades or enhancements are made. We often look for better ways to communicate that are convenient and will save us the time of having to meet with someone face-to-face. What could be troublesome, however, is how much we put ourselves out there for the world of cyber space to take advantage of us. Even today, you can try and protect yourself with Identity Theft insurance. Even those old-fashioned people are using technology for entertainment and communication purposes. All of these technological enhancements can be costly, but even in today’s troubled economic environment, we find ourselves still lunging for these enhancements.
Whether it be to keep up with the Jones’ or to communicate with long-lost friends and family or to just be nosey and see what everyone is doing at every waking moment, we grab hold of these exciting technological formats and create a whole new world. A world built up of megabytes and cyber unity. Just to give you an idea, here are four pieces of technology that have been enhanced over the past few decades.
Whether it be to keep up with the Jones’ or to communicate with long-lost friends and family or to just be nosey and see what everyone is doing at every waking moment, we grab hold of these exciting technological formats and create a whole new world. A world built up of megabytes and cyber unity. Just to give you an idea, here are four pieces of technology that have been enhanced over the past few decades.
Internet: This world wide juggernaut has not only expanded the amount of news able to be viewed within moments of the event, but it allows for global communication. Having internet access can allow you to read current events in other countries, do research on previous historical events and people, communicate with anyone who uses it, and provide mental stimulation for those looking to enhance their minds. In order to compete, companies are finding that they need to create a web page to lure in new people. With “GOOGLE”, you can type in any phrase and within seconds, it can guide you to information on seemingly every topic known to man. Now, with the assistance of a webcam, you can have a video conference with colleagues from across the land or chat with a family member who lives thousands of miles away. And 20 years ago, who would’ve thought that you can get a college education online?
Cell phones: Where would we be without cell phones? I remember being a teenager and watching Zach Morris from “Saved by the Bell” with his mobile phone that was so big that when he stuck it in his back pocket, I thought that it would be impossible to sit down. Now, these things are made smaller and smaller, have so many capabilities that they are practically causing the computer to become obsolete. People constantly want an updated gadget that will allow them to do this and that. Many people pay top dollar to be able to download various “apps” that allow them to download music, check your local weather, get directions, and read the Bible.
Television: Once just a black and white model found sporadically throughout homes in America
Kindle: Today, who needs an actual book? You can download your favorite book to this nifty little gadget that allows you to turn the pages as if you were physically doing so. You can read textbooks, romantic novels, science fiction, whatever genre you prefer and all with the touch of a button. Many enjoy it because it takes up less space than a book and seems to be a little more environmentally friendly. Many still enjoy the feel of an actual book, though, but, in my opinion, it is only a matter of time before book publishers begin offering a more technological way to read your favorite author’s latest work.
Conclusion
Here is my bottom line with technology: get ready because we have not seen the tip of the iceberg yet. We have come so far with technology and media and the various entities that come of them and we have just scratched the surface. I, like you, want the latest and greatest, but my bank account tells me to “Stop!”. I consider myself to still be pretty young, only being 32 years old. What is astonishing to me is that my four year old knows how to turn on a computer, go to her favorite websites, and play games. When I was in the eighth grade, it was a treat to take a trip to the Macintosh computer lab and play Oregon Trail or Number Crunchers. Now, students in school are starting as early as first grade on computers and many assignments and tests are done on the computer. Getting a cordless landline phone in my house was the cool thing when I was a kid. I was even cooler when we upgraded our landline to have caller ID. It was cool to get cable television, a staple for now millions of homes. I welcomed all of these changes and I am certain I will as we get older, but will always have that paranoia that someone can access my information at any given time if I am not careful. I can only imagine what the technology and media world will be like when my daughter is 32. Excuse me while I answer my text message…
References
Internet picture retrieved October 24, 2010, from http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/community/columns/technologyinternet.mspx.
Zach Morris cell phone picture retrieved October 24, 2010, from http://danaswanson.expertsandinsiders.com/2010/03/28/the-zach-morris-effect/.
IPhone cell phone picture retrieved October 24, 2010, from http://www.bogost.com/blog/the_geeks_chihuahua.shtml.
Herr, Norman D. (2007). The sourcebook for teaching science: Television and health. Retrieved October 21, 2010, from http://www.csun.edu/science/health/docs/tv&health.html.
Old television picture retrieved October 25, 2010, from http://dnr.wi.gov/org/aw/wm/ewaste/dtv.htm.
New television picture retrieved October 25, 2010, from http://www.slipperybrick.com/2007/10/lg-reveals-32-inch-plasma-television/.
Stack of books picture retrieved October 25, 2010, from http://www.nzno.org.nz/services/library.
Kindle picture retrieved October 25, 2010, from http://www.sovator.org/.
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