“But Mom, I Need a Laptop”
Anna Byars, Weekly Editor
May 25, 2012
Filed under Opinions and Views
Technology. Our fast-past lives rely on it; the medical field depends on it; we never deny the importance of it. We joke about how we need a laptop or a GPS, but is it really a joke? Could we ever do without all of the circuitry and buttons?
Business teacher Mr. Sawicz says that he wouldn’t say that we NEED technology. “We survived before it,” but he adds, “it would be foolish not to embrace anything that improves our quality of life.” Technology is helpful and efficient. It may be possible to live without it, but no one would want to.
My grandma has a smart phone. She doesn’t need it or even use apps, but she has it. Like most of us, she couldn’t do without her cell phone. According to senior Jacob Smith, if technology suddenly ceased to exist, then “we wouldn’t be able to go about our lives because we are so attached to it.” How would we get home from school? How would we tell our grandmas about a car crash on HW-25? How would we cook dinner? Our everyday routines would be shattered. Really, think about what you would do without technology. It wouldn’t even be possible because we rely so heavily on it.
Zach Livingston, sophomore, believes that “we both need and don’t need technology. It is helping our research in the health field, but also consumes most of our lives.” In fact, junior Tori Roberts thinks that “the medical aspect would seem to be the only need.” Everything else is just fluff, for our enjoyment.
Life is easier and better with smart phones we can have conversations with and apps that update our friends from miles away. This is all fine and dandy, but there should be a limit on technology. “Humans are less in touch,” says junior Daniel Pippin. “Technology gets rid of human interaction.” It’s easier to send a text than it is to go to a friend’s house. Texts are impersonal, but we do what is easier.
“It takes the life out of things,” Daniel continues, “Everything is ‘do it now’ instead of enjoying the moment.” I know I don’t enjoy waiting three seconds on my pop-tarts in the morning, but wouldn’t that be the same if there weren’t toasters and microwaves? Perhaps it is not fair to blame our do-it-now mentality on technology. Enjoying the moment does not need to be done at the expense of efficiency-we can exist with both. Technology simply helps us enjoy things more while making it faster to enjoy enjoy things.
Truthfully, our race would not be able to give up technology, but that is not such an awful thing. Our reliance is not yet to the extent that Brave New World and Fahrenheit 451 shows. These books, along with countless others, theorize our future if we continue on in this fashion. But, how could we go backwards? Or better yet, who would want to?
