The curse (?) of modern technology
When it comes to new technology I am first in the queue, clawing and foaming at the mouth to get my hands on the latest iPod, e-reader, Macbook - you name it, it's a fair bet I'll love it
Technology, and its quite unfathomable evolution over the past twenty years, is one of the true wonders of my generation.
Every day I have occasion to stop in my tracks and just wonder at what I am able to do now that I couldn’t when I left university in 1995.
In fact I am amazed at how I even managed to function during my younger years without the aid of an app that allows me to check my bank account and transfer money at the swipe of a finger, or book a flight in a foreign country without even leaving the comfort of my hotel room.
Technology has even killed the annual tradition of boring my friends rigid with hundreds of photos of my trip, they are now uploaded onto Facebook seconds after they are taken – amazing.
I use my Kindle (my personal favourite electronic device) on a daily basis – books are so 2009.
I tweet, email (another new arrival during my professional lifetime), buy stuff on Amazon, work out my tax return, check train times –and book, take, edit and publish photographs, and plan my every move from my iPhone, and I would be lost on a long journey without my portable DVD player.
At this point I find it necessary to repeat the fact - I do love technology.
But today, my daily moment of wonder was tinged with annoyance, and I was forced to stop and think about something I hadn't really considered before.
Technology has changed my life, and made life immeasurably faster and easier for millions of people.
But has that privilege come at a price? - is technology making us lazy and rude.
The question was sparked in my mind as I queued to pay for something in Holland and Barrett.
A woman in front of me was conducting a conversation with a friend on her phone to which the entire shop, and probably the street, was privy to.
Devoid of the slightest awareness of anyone around her she babbled on at the top of her voice about nothing, to my mind, that couldn’t have waited until she was in private.
She droned on in irritating detail about what he said, followed by what she said, to where she was, back to what he said and so on....you know the drill.
When it came to paying, totally oblivious to the fact that the assistant had tried to tell her that the till was cash only, she handed over her card - still talking on the phone.
After several impatient “I'm sorry?”s from her, the assistant managed to edge into her conversation to relay this piece of information - "I'm sorry this till is cash only".
After several discontented tuts and a “for ****s sake” she huffed and shoved her way to the back of the queue and proceeded to complain to her phone pal about being in a hurry and never having enough time.
This got me to thinking, did she really need to do that?
That would never have happened fifteen years ago.
The reason being that nobody (well almost nobody) had mobile phones.
Somehow we managed to survive without being available every waking (and sleeping) minute of the day, yet still managing to keep in contact with friends and family.
If mobile phones had come along then I doubt I would ever have been that rude anyway.
Surely the need to chatter on the phone doesn't override the common courtesy of giving your attention when interacting with another human being.
Has technology robbed our society of our manners?
Outside the shop I was sent flying by a young bloke doing something on his phone while charging ahead without looking in front of him.
Lunch with a friend followed...so how have you bee...... theme from something or other... Here we go....”Sorry can I just take this?”...sure - I may as well have not bothered.
I add at this point that I have always been slightly embarrassed to talk on the phone in a public place, probably because I don’t want the whole world listening in.
I also think that 90 per cent of the time it is uncalled for, and any conversation can usually wait until I am alone – I am glad of my point blank rule that when I am with friends the phone goes into my coat pocket and doesn’t come out – it’s just common courtesy.
That also applies to turning on my laptop, getting out the Playstation (I know, very 1997), or popping on my iPod.
I do love technology, and I think it has revolutionised the way we live in so many ways.
I remember a trip to Thailand in 1996, sitting in a grubby phone kiosk in the back streets of Bangkok waiting for the man to get a connection to London so I could let my mother know I was alright and having a good time.
Last year I went again and while having a drink in the hotel lobby held a conversation with her on Facebook chat while she watched videos of the trip so far.
There is a fine line I feel between making the most of the wonderful access to technology we have and letting it take over your life.
The days of rushing home for an important call, sending a CV through the post and waiting for a reply, or dashing out of the house at 8am to get a copy of Loot for the jobs pages are long gone – I know, and that is a good thing.
But must it come at such a cost – making you live your life at such a pace that you forget one of the most important things you can show someone else – common courtesy.
Technology, and its quite unfathomable evolution over the past twenty years, is one of the true wonders of my generation.
Every day I have occasion to stop in my tracks and just wonder at what I am able to do now that I couldn’t when I left university in 1995.
In fact I am amazed at how I even managed to function during my younger years without the aid of an app that allows me to check my bank account and transfer money at the swipe of a finger, or book a flight in a foreign country without even leaving the comfort of my hotel room.
Technology has even killed the annual tradition of boring my friends rigid with hundreds of photos of my trip, they are now uploaded onto Facebook seconds after they are taken – amazing.
I use my Kindle (my personal favourite electronic device) on a daily basis – books are so 2009.
I tweet, email (another new arrival during my professional lifetime), buy stuff on Amazon, work out my tax return, check train times –and book, take, edit and publish photographs, and plan my every move from my iPhone, and I would be lost on a long journey without my portable DVD player.
At this point I find it necessary to repeat the fact - I do love technology.
But today, my daily moment of wonder was tinged with annoyance, and I was forced to stop and think about something I hadn't really considered before.
Technology has changed my life, and made life immeasurably faster and easier for millions of people.
But has that privilege come at a price? - is technology making us lazy and rude.
The question was sparked in my mind as I queued to pay for something in Holland and Barrett.
A woman in front of me was conducting a conversation with a friend on her phone to which the entire shop, and probably the street, was privy to.
Devoid of the slightest awareness of anyone around her she babbled on at the top of her voice about nothing, to my mind, that couldn’t have waited until she was in private.
She droned on in irritating detail about what he said, followed by what she said, to where she was, back to what he said and so on....you know the drill.
When it came to paying, totally oblivious to the fact that the assistant had tried to tell her that the till was cash only, she handed over her card - still talking on the phone.
After several impatient “I'm sorry?”s from her, the assistant managed to edge into her conversation to relay this piece of information - "I'm sorry this till is cash only".
After several discontented tuts and a “for ****s sake” she huffed and shoved her way to the back of the queue and proceeded to complain to her phone pal about being in a hurry and never having enough time.
This got me to thinking, did she really need to do that?
That would never have happened fifteen years ago.
The reason being that nobody (well almost nobody) had mobile phones.
Somehow we managed to survive without being available every waking (and sleeping) minute of the day, yet still managing to keep in contact with friends and family.
If mobile phones had come along then I doubt I would ever have been that rude anyway.
Surely the need to chatter on the phone doesn't override the common courtesy of giving your attention when interacting with another human being.
Has technology robbed our society of our manners?
Outside the shop I was sent flying by a young bloke doing something on his phone while charging ahead without looking in front of him.
Lunch with a friend followed...so how have you bee...... theme from something or other... Here we go....”Sorry can I just take this?”...sure - I may as well have not bothered.
I add at this point that I have always been slightly embarrassed to talk on the phone in a public place, probably because I don’t want the whole world listening in.
I also think that 90 per cent of the time it is uncalled for, and any conversation can usually wait until I am alone – I am glad of my point blank rule that when I am with friends the phone goes into my coat pocket and doesn’t come out – it’s just common courtesy.
That also applies to turning on my laptop, getting out the Playstation (I know, very 1997), or popping on my iPod.
I do love technology, and I think it has revolutionised the way we live in so many ways.
I remember a trip to Thailand in 1996, sitting in a grubby phone kiosk in the back streets of Bangkok waiting for the man to get a connection to London so I could let my mother know I was alright and having a good time.
Last year I went again and while having a drink in the hotel lobby held a conversation with her on Facebook chat while she watched videos of the trip so far.
There is a fine line I feel between making the most of the wonderful access to technology we have and letting it take over your life.
The days of rushing home for an important call, sending a CV through the post and waiting for a reply, or dashing out of the house at 8am to get a copy of Loot for the jobs pages are long gone – I know, and that is a good thing.
But must it come at such a cost – making you live your life at such a pace that you forget one of the most important things you can show someone else – common courtesy.
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