A life with Technology

Let's start off with a question:

When did the "thing to do" become the "five things to do at once"?

In our society we are constantly doing more than one things at once. You name it: texting and driving, eating while watching TV, skyping while texting, walking and talking, working out and listening to music... the list is never ending. Why does we feel so inclined to have to do so many things at once? Are there not enough hours in the day to complete the necessary tasks? I personally think it comes down to one thing: we got bored.

We became bored doing the same thing all the. We needed to mix it up and try something new. It's the same reason technology is always changing, we need something new to play with and to wrap our minds around. We are infatuated with new things, whether that be new games to play, new phones to figure out, new TV shows to watch. Our lives revolve around the update of technology and we're so blinded by it all that we don't even see it. More often than not, we go out to dinner with other individuals, and spend more time on our phones than we do talking to the person sitting next to us. I can't say Im not guilty of it. But i just wish that for one day, we went back to the way things used to be, a simpler time. A day when a family dinner meant, no talk of religion or politics and all phones, computers, and non-existant iPads were left in the other room. I dont want it to go back that way forever, lets face it, our world would crumble. I just think that all of could use a dose of reality and cause us to pump the breaks on this busy life were so engaged in.


Below is short clip from John King on CNN concerning a hour and half without technology

Disconnect While Connecting

After reading WIlliam Power's book, "Hamlet's Blackberry" a certain point to me stuck out like a sore thumb; Chapter Nine, titled "Inventing Your Life." The chapter's first paragraph goes on to talk about how no-email Fridays would be a successful way to go about our business week. For just one day a week, we completely disconnect ourselves via email/technology and allow more personal interactions to arise.
Powers' discusses that it echos the casual Friday act that everyone so quickly responded to in a positive manner. I, however, think disconnecting would be relaxing although initially stressful. In fact, on page 163 it reads, "man is a sociable being, and it is... one of the worst punishments to be excluded from society." Powers could not have worded it any better. Although, i do not have any book or movie to reference, I do have personal knowledge as well as a credible educational background that backs me up when I say, we as a individuals need society. There is no way to go around it. In our society, no-email Friday is more of a management problem than not enough cokes in the vending machines. We are dependent upon communication with one another. In the present day, we get emails constantly throughout the day. A few years ago, it wasn't uncommon to hear back from someone by the end of the day if you emailed them in the morning. However, if I got an email today, I can almost guarantee that individual will have a  response within at least one hour, sometimes one minute if I am on my computer. I understand that Powers' thinks that this type of solution will help you invent yourself by causing you to network and interact on a face-to-face basis but I think more people will get frustrated than relieved. Overall, I think no-email Friday would be a positive way to invent your life like Powers suggest. Although i hate to say it, I just dont think it is a realistic option for today's society. Especially for the Gen-Y era whom are constantly multitasking and attempting (key word) to do five things at once.