AN EXPLOSION OF TECHNOLOGY
In Albania, it is not unusual to see an old person riding a donkey while talking on a cell phone. In India, a beggar might pause in his solicitations to make or take a call on his cell phone. O yes, from cell phone to computers to television, technology has found its way into every corner of the world, even crossing the divide between rich and poor and has become a part of life for many.
The pervasiveness of technology is perhaps most apparent in the proliferation of cell phones, many of which are no longer cell phones. Advanced models enables users to surf the internet, send and receive e-mails and text massages, watch TV, listen to music, take photos, and navigate by the Global Positioning System(GPS).
According to a report in the Washington Post newspaper, a multimedia smartphone now has a more processing power than did the North American Air Defense Command in 1965. Furthermore, "there is now one cellphone for every two humans on Earth", and at least 30 nations have more witnessing, "the faster global diffusion of any technology in human history", says the paper.
Worldwide, almost 60 percent of users live in developing lands, making the cell phone the first high-tech communication devices to have majority of users in those lands.
DEMERITS OF TECHNOLOGY
Communications revolution has its downside. Cell phones, papers, and laptop computers makes people accessible almost anytime, anywhere, causing some users to feel caught in an electronic we. At the other extreme are technology addicts, who have a compulsion to be connected in order to know what is going on.
ADDICTION, DISTRACTION AND INTERRUPTION
These are perhaps the most recognized problems associated with popular communications and media technology. But the same devices also have much power for good. How, then, can you use them in a balanced, wise and considerate way? The next subheadings addresses these questions.
TECHNOLOGY: A BLESSING OR A CURSE
SCENARIO: A driver loses control of his car and hits a utility pole, seriously injuring a passenger. Immediately, he uses his cell phone to call for help. But, why did he lose control? He momentarily took his eyes off the road to answer a call.
As this example illustrates, the products of modern technology can be either a blessing or a curse. The choice depends on us. Few people, although would prefer to go back to the comparatively crude products of yesteryears. Computers, for example, spare us tedious tasks, enable us to buy and bank conveniently online, and help us keep in touch with others by e-mail, voice mail, and video link.
Not too long ago, family members which would go to their various ways in the morning and not speaks to one another again until evening. But now, 70% of couples in which both partners have cell phones contact each other by the minutes to just say hello, 64% contact each other to coordinate schedules, and 42$ of parents contact their children daily using a cell phone, says a reporter in USA today.
Do Not Let an Asset Become a Liability.
Can the excessive and improper use of technology become harmful mentally and physically? Let us consider the example of two newlyweds in one Western land. According to a news report, they "were on the phone constantly in their car, at the gym, even calling each other from different rooms inside their own house". They could not cope with their phones. They have the "classic signs of addiction", noted Dr. Harris Stratyner, a mental-health specialist. "It's like they are having a relationship through an object".
The above example may seem extreme, but it reflects a worrisome trend. For many people, the thought of being out of contact for even an hour is unbearable. "We always need to check out e-mails, we always need to be on the internet, we always need to be on instant messaging with our friends", said one woman in her 20's.
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