In 1998 the movie “Enemy of the State” starring Gene Hackman and Will Smith, showed how technology is taking over and how those in control can view and track whomever and whenever they want. Some thought that this was a futuristic portrayal of our government. Well technology is now thirteen years older than it was shown in the movie so just imagine were it is now. There are security camera’s and traffic camera’s taking video and still pictures all over the place. With cellphones now being a normal accessory and not a high-priced gadget we are in touch constantly. Just think, when we are connected we are even more connected than you may think or want to be.
That battery that supplies that electronic toy also allows those who have the ability to know exactly were you are. The Internet is a social hot bed of communication. With “Twitter and “Facebook” and My Space” we can talk to anyone we want in any part of the world with just a click of a button. Or at least that’s what we’re to believe. If not knowing who is really on the receiving end of our socializing, we could be talking to the next door neighbor and be duped into thinking it is a friendship we are making with someone else across the globe. There is no personality involved.
There is no person to person or face to face so the relationship is two-dimensional. there is no real connection so there is no emotional response. We can’t truly get to know a person staring at a computer screen full of words. Words that may not be a true representation of the person we are talking too. Our relationships or friendships could become sterile and of no true significance of what happens to the person. With no physical contact there is less emotional ties produced. We feel that if we type a few caring words than that’s all the obligation that is needed. We can type very eloquently and feel if we do it well enough than that’s it. But do we really feel the words we type or are we just letting our fingers do the talking and not the heart. Sometimes we type faster than we can talk and think.
Technology is getting in the way as far as control more than convenience. The I-pass is no more than a way to be able to track how you got from point “A” to point “B” and how long it took you to get there. Then there is the “Little Black Box” that are in most new cars and is another way technology is overtaking human involvement. It’s just like the “Black Box” on an airplane. It records things like how fast a person was traveling, when they put on their brakes, and all other types of information on the performance of the vehicle. No longer will there be human error. Insurance adjusters and police will be able to know exactly who was at fault.
Little black boxes, cell phones, computers we feel that we are getting better and have the world available at the touch of a button? Don’t be fooled. As much as we are connected because of technology the less in touch we are as humans.
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