As with everything in life, I think the important thing about technology is to find a sense of balance. To recognize the good and bad, and use it accordingly. Three examples...
Information vs. misinformation: I love how the Internet gives us many alternatives to the traditional network news, and especially hope it will be a catalyst for change in parts of the world with oppressive governments. Knowledge is power (eventually), right? But I detest all the mistakes and outright lies that float around out there too. So many people think printed words (even on a screen) = truth. If only snopes.com was a prerequisite to sending (or should I saw forwarding) an e-mail... there would be a lot less hatred in the world. (Not to go all political, but if I get one more e-mail about Barack Obama being a terrorist I am going to go through the roof!!!!)
Time saved vs. time wasted: It would take me weeks to create a comprehensive list of all the things we do online that save us time: banking, renewing library books, looking up phone numbers, creating maps, printing postage... you get the idea. But it's also true that a person can waste inordinate amounts of time online as well. I participate in a forum with thousands of mothers from all around the world; I learn a lot from this resource, but it's easy to get caught up reading debate threads that really serve no purpose. I may as well be reading the Enquirer! The time it takes to keep current with technology is also an issue for me. Case in point: yesterday I literally spent hours trying to convert text into readable graphic headers to upload to a web page. Hours. And NO... I didn't figure it out yet!!!!!!!
Reconnecting vs. Disconnecting. I cannot image living this far from my family if it wasn't for a digital camera and e-mail. Just think... I'd call my parents and say, "Great news! We just had the baby! I'll take the film to a one-hour photo lab and hopefully you'll get the prints by next Monday!" As if it isn't hard enough... geesh! Even sharing video clips has become a breeze thanks to YouTube, Photobucket, Google, and countless other hosting services. WebCams give you live contact, even from thousands of miles away. It's baffling! On the other hand, you hear nightmare stories of marriages falling apart because of online affairs. Or people disappearing into Second Life and forgetting they have a first one. Technology can be a bit intrusive... laptops in the living room, cell phones on the hip, pagers in the pocket... no wonder it's so hard for people to find uninterrupted time with the live people who mean the most!
So there's my ramble. I came here thinking I'd post about web development stuff (finding a host, software, etc.) but I am feeling so disgusted with myself for wasting an entire day trying to make an appealing heading for a web page I'm building (why can't I just be happy with the "web safe" fonts???) that this is what came out instead. I guess I needed to reassure myself that technology is a good thing, too!
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1 comment:
Technology, like any tool, is a double edged sword. And boy is it easy to get really lost when you get off track or start following some trail down a rabbit hole.....
Another issue that concerns me is the personal disconnect that occurs when people no longer communicate face to face. I went a whole year having email conversations with someone who works at the other end of the ed center without ever meeting them face to face. Sigh...
Ann
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