Sunday, January 9, 2011

Is technology making us more short-sighted?

As technology continues to evolve and make things more convenient to its users, I wonder if it is also making people more short-sighted when it comes to living life.

For example, prior to having a GPS-enabled smartphone, anytime I was going to go to a new place, I would have to look up the directions on a map and figure out the route. Now, I can just punch in the address and the directions popup in my Google Maps application. No planning needed.

Or take a look at the cellphone... if I forgot something at the house I can just call my roommate, wife, or whoever to just pick it up and bring it with them to the party.

Planning and foresight no longer seem necessary because almost everything can be accessed instantly. Technology clearly has its advantages, but I wonder what the long-term reprecussions that technology will have upon us as a society.

What are your thoughts?

1 comment:

  1. Agree that technology has made us a bit lazier. Although, I do print out maps as backup and occasionally do stop by a gas station for directions. I also realized that a lot of young people rely a calculator to do simple math. Nonetheless, I think that advanced technology also allows us to do a lot of things we were not able to do before and faster.

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