Technology: do we possess it or does it possess us?

Recently, I read an article about the wonders of technology. It was a good article, well written. It highlighted how technology has made this world a smaller place, and the near-magical things that could be achieved with their onset. Now, there was little in this article that I could disagree with. It’s true, isn’t it? Technology has done wonders for the developments and achievements of mankind. It has made the journey of progress easier than it has ever been before.

But then, in a way, I couldn’t help wonder if technology really was all that it was cracked up to be. The dependence on it has increased tremendously, with people relying on it blindly – forgetting that man made machine, not the other way round. They forget that machines and other gadgets were invented to make our work EASY, not to DO our work. They forget that whatever machines can do, our brains can do a lot faster. There are people I know, who have forgotten mental math because the use of calculators has been so rampant. Children I know, who cannot even begin to imagine cameras that didn’t show them the photograph instantly. Everybody has become impatient, because technology has let everyone take speed for granted.

Another thing that strikes me about the advance is this: the fact that “getting away” has become so hard for most people. And what shocks me more than anything, is that the whole thing is not even technology’s fault. The thought of just leaving technology behind is unthinkable and unbearable for people. It’s not like the old definition of vacation is tarnished with the onset of phones with internet, which let you work from anywhere anytime and work beckons no matter which corner of the world you are in. I mean, that is the case sometimes. But more often than not, these days people find it near-impossible to just let go. It’s almost like it’s oxygen they’re letting go off, or something equally vital to living and breathing.