New media cavegirl, that's me

As a new media video producer and blogger, most people assume that I live and breathe the latest technology. Not only research it, but have an iPhone, Tivo my favorite shows, and listen to XM satellite radio in my car. I may keep up to date and know a lot about tech, but I certainly lead a comparatively archaic life that doesn't include any of the aforementioned. Nowadays, I see more and more people consuming technology at a higher frequency and wonder if I am slipping through the cracks of general modernization.

Technology is great for all the conveniences it can provide. I wish I could be more of a Judy Jetson [though my blog is akin to her digital diary], but technology is not most practical on a budget. I don't miss having most of these gizmos too often, but I would love to try Tivo. I think if I had a DVR, I would watch more television that is currently on the air. Instead, I find myself just waiting until the season is out on DVD. For example, I used to try to make it home every Tuesday before 10:00 P.M .to see the latest episode of Nip/Tuck on FX. Now, I just figure the season will be out on DVD soon enough for me to watch it when my schedule permits. Those who Tivo have a similar sense, but get their satisfaction much faster than a DVD consumer like myself. This also makes it hard for me to get into any new program; most of my favorites are off the air [like Arrested Development] or currently do not have a new season on TV.

I also do not own a smart phone. I had a Blackberry Pearl that I had to replace this year due to a broken mini-USB port. I had the data capabilities on that phone for a short while, then just used it as a normal phone. When I was shopping for a new mobile, I considered the Nokia N95 or another Blackberry, but realized I never used the full functionality even when I had a full time job that benefited from me being in constant communication. I went with the LG Xenon with data, which I canceled after a month. I am fine with going into a restaurant without using Yelp, even though I understand how much easier that can make choosing the best place for dinner. If a restaurant is rated 4-5 stars, then you know it's good. That is information I enjoy having, but some sense of adventure [and chance of food poisoning] gets lost with that comfort.

Along with losing my Blackberry earlier this year, my laptop also died with complications having to do with a fried motherboard. I have not been able to replace my laptop, meaning that when I go on a trip or out to freelance on Tuesdays, I leave the house with no internet or word processing machine. I think this may be the biggest shocker, as it is one of the older staples of the tech savvy individual. It's not that I couldn't use a laptop, but in some sense, I like being offline for most of the day when I am not available. In a way, it's common sense--If I am not at home at my desk with my computer, why should I respond to an email? I prefer enjoying a good book and looking out the window on the train. Speaking of books, e-books are another thing that don't do it for me. I have tested out a Kindle, and can get the appeal of not lugging the 5.5 pound Lord of the Rings trilogy around, but I miss the tactile pleasures of a book. I am a sucker for wandering in bookstores and having a full bookshelf at home. E-books may be lighter, but they are not my idea of a good leisure reading experience. The Kindle would be great in a classroom setting as 80% of most textbooks are heavy and may not have the shelf-life of fiction.

There is always the big debate of whether technology is freeing or restraining, but by being stripped of most of my gadgets this year, I have realized that it can be life changing. I don't want to come off as a total cavegirl; I do have a Tom-Tom navigator, a mobile phone with SMS, and an iPod. I have a desktop computer with super-fast internet, and of course, I have a DVD player for all those seasons of Curb Your Enthusiasm that I love watching repeatedly. I love being online, Twittering, Facebooking, all that. Although these things are very helpful [I am terrible at directions], I do feel like a bit of a tech neanderthal when I watch shows like AppJudgment, a show based entirely on iPhone applications. I did have an iPhone once because a company I worked for required it, so I understand the fascination, but still do pretty much dislike the iPhone and everything it stands for.

I don't know if this increasing reliance on tech is a good thing. When I watch movies like Terminator or A.I., or read novels like Brave New World, it's weird to feel that the future depicted in that media is not completely off. I love trying new gadgets, and don't get me wrong, I am the authority on the coolest new websites, but I think it's important to be balanced. Like wine, fatty foods, or any other vice, I believe technology is great--in moderation.

Comments

[Evan]

The thing I started to realize is that the interwebz is a bubble. While the motola droid and iPhone look nice, do you really need it? I live in a third world country and I am the most tech-savvy person (or one of) among all the people I know - Blackberries are now becoming widely available (to non corporate customers) and all my late teens/early twenties friends are getting blackberries. You'd think I would be the first to get one now, but the thing I was telling my friend who was scraping the money to buy it is: "Do you actually need it?"

I mean, you'd expect me to want it, what with all my twittering and blogging and whatnot, but really I just need to make calls and do texts and mostly people aren't keeping practicality in mind. So I see FB status updates of people complaining about how much it costs to pay the weekly prepaid access for BB data - but for what? So you can use Facebook in the toilet?

Marketing has a big role to play, it's making people want what they don't need. It's good to step back and think about what you really need. Tivo might be nice if you take your TV watching seriously, but perhaps you could just wait to Netflix the shows you want and save some cash? Plus they allow instant streaming and there's Hulu.

It's good to disconnect and not be slave to technology.

Imagine, I left my phone home by mistake when I went to class. The drive to and fro was actually quite relaxing not looking down constantly at my phone.

As for books, I bought 3 books today and was thinking about how I personally prefer looking at books aesthetically to decide on purchases. Designs sort of lend themselves to the content, but maybe if I got a free digital copy that would be cool too.

I liken it to a discussion we had in class where I had to defend the death of newspapers. The older heads were saying it just could not happen, even though my report showed statistically how Newspapers were going to eventually die out. I guess we're just a younger generation of that and the next generation will treat books like we treat vinyl for music. :p

[Jeff Putz]

When it really comes down to it, I find that technology just puts more stuff in front of me that sucks than I might ordinarily see. You can use the stuff and still choose what to do with it. I love my DVR, but still only really watch four shows (mostly Mythbusters). I have an iPhone, but I have never had it automatically fetch e-mail. I have the bestest 17" MacBook Pro, but it only goes with me if I have actual work to do.

The gadgets don't create a binary situation where you either have them off all of the time or you're a totally plugged in socially inept addict. What's difficult in the field that you cover in your work is that it's easy to get sucked into all of the tech and never stop to ask why it's important. Gadget/tech/Internet lust is one of the things that makes the tech press actually very difficult to consume because it's all on, all of the time, and never stops to ask why it matters.

So your thought process here sounds pretty healthy to me. And you're practical about living within your means too, which certainly helps.

[Nat]

I went through something similar a while ago, and its one of the reasons I love travelling so much. Business trips, vacations, or just because, you end up ditching a shed load of your daily tech and are faced with apparently longer days and periods where you can actually talk to other people or enjoy a good book. Either way, having to ditch tech for a while is no bad thing in my opnion.

That said, I am right now sat in front of my laptop at home, rather than being at work. Why? Because my housemate jumped on her bike and set off for her new job confident that she knew where she was going. As it turned out she went 3 miles in the wrong direction and got completely lost. With apparently no one to ask for directions, she had to call home and have my direct her to the job via the medium of Google maps. Which is all well and good, but she has a Blackberry Bold. If she'd gotten the dataplan she could have used Google maps in conjuntion with the phone's GPS and be there in half the time. Probably would have cost a lot less too.

My assessment is that too much tech can be a bad thing, or rather all good things in moderation. With the capability to fill our lives with media 24/7 and the ability to reach almost everyone we know via the 'net, the reasons to head out and engage with those around us deminishes. Tech should suppliment our lives, not rule it, but as a society we seem to be addicted to it. The quote "Woreshipping at the alter of technology" seems to apply more and more as gadgets an tech become taylored to the individual and hardware shrinks to be carried with us every where.

Anyway, great post. I look foward to reading more of your work.

[valerie]

Well said!

I'm on the other side of things, I think. Maybe it's my age (30s), but I totally dig all the technology out there and coming up. And I find ways to mix it into my life. The thought of giving up any of it just scares me a little. I have an iPhone (which drives me nuts because of sad sad battery life) and I adore my digital cameras and iPods and DVR and TiVo (yes, I have both). But for me it's more a recreational type thing. My current job situation doesn't demand such connectivity, so all my tech love is for personal reasons. lol!

I think it’s wise to strive for balance and moderation. I personally need more of that myself. ;) Of my family and friends, I’m probably the one most prone to showing tech addiction. But it keeps me out of trouble. Maybe.

[Pandrogas]

I totally get where you're coming from. Balancing life with technology is an interesting task. I guess some people probably think of me as too much of a technophile sometimes, but my cell phone is just a phone, I could never figure out how to program a VCR, and I go to bookstores just to walk around and see what's new. Plus, besides the tactile feel of books, I love the smell of freshly printed paper almost as much as I love older books and prints.

Honestly I fear for the next generation sometimes. Texting all day long, spoiled cause they got computers from an early age. Back in my day, I had a 486 with a 9Mb hard drive. My little sister is half my age and is planning on getting a netbook for Christmas.

I think technology will continue to evolve into our lives, but there are just some things that transcend the speed of tech. Some days, we just have to let go and walk away for peace of mind. Good thing the segway didn't actually change how we walk or we'd all be screwed.

I never understood the appeal of the iPhone. I can get behind the iPod Touch, I have one, it's great for games and videos and music and stuff, but who in their right mind would make a person use a flat screen as a phone? Not to mention that I dislike AT&T and everything they stand for, but that's besides the point.

DVR is one piece of technology that actually is worth it's weight in gold though. That and Hulu. What's even better is the ability to set up a DVR using Windows Media Center and a simple cable card. Gold in them there hills, I tell ya, gold.

The future... I always thought the future would end up a little bit more like the movie Idiocracy than anything else. Consumer technology constantly moves towards easier and easier things so over time, most people stop asking questions about how stuff really works. Then they stop trusting scientists cause they don't understand big words.

Oh crap that's going on today. *Runs for the hills*

The balance between technology and life is important. One is only supposed to help the other, not replace it.

Then again, I could just be rationalizing this because I'm broke and can't afford a new computer.