Technology -- Or the "Dumbing Down" of America

Technology is both exciting and frightening at the same time. Last night I bought and downloaded my first music album completely through my phone from Amazon.com. And while that action may not sound particularly unusual, it is when you take into account that I'm one of those holdouts that still buys the occasional CD and enjoys having a physical copy of the thing that I bought. Hell, I even still own a few cassette tapes (yet oddly enough not a cassette player). But I have to admit the idea appealed to me especially since this particular album I probably couldn't find in a brick and mortar store, not to mention the expense of gas traveling to said store if I could find it.

If you didn't already know Amazon has a cloud storage feature set up on their site where you're able to down/upload MP3s for free, as well as being able to stream those files directly from that storage. This feature also automatically transfers any new MP3s to your iTunes or Windows Media Player where you can then transfer them to a mobile device to take with you.

Am I the only one that is still amazed by this? I remember when the most you could do on a cell phone was change the date and time and THAT WAS IT! Not to mention the monochromatic color scheme and Tetris-sytle fonts. And this wasn't that long ago; we're only talking roughly fifteen or sixteen years. Now you can literally run a small business through your phone, not to mention all the extra-curricular activities you can do.

Some times I wonder if technology isn't moving too fast for its own good. Think about it: We have access to information 24/7. We have Internet enabled "smart" phones that allow us to instantaneously find the answer to a question if we don't know it; all you have to do is "Google it" and in less than two seconds you can find what you need. This ability to find out anything you want on the fly never ceases to amaze me, and the ease with which you can get an answer to a question is scary. Even writing this blog is an amazing feat because I'm able to address people that I would otherwise never even know existed if I didn't have the Internet to connect with them.

I'm surprised libraries still exist. Does anyone remember how to use the Dewey Decimal system; that is to say if you even know what the Dewey Decimal system is. It's been a while since I've been in school, but when I was I clearly remember being taught those things. What are kids being taught today now that they have the world in the palms of their hands?

Is the teaching profession becoming unnecessary? Will there be a day when schools are abolished in favor of students learning in the comfort of their own home strictly through computers and A.I. programs? You may scoff at this notion and say no way that could ever happen, but the scary part is it already is happening.

Where? College. As more and more people get connected online colleges are offering more online classes for students. What's the difference between learning in a classroom and learning through a computer at your house barring the social aspect? Nothing. So what's to prevent this practice from further descending to the lower ranks of the education system? Computers are already an integral part of many schools today, and the duties of teachers is slowly being phased out as they are not actively engaging in teaching as much as they once were. In some cases it's so bad that a teacher's role has been reduced to simply maintaining order in the classroom and to clarify instructions. Beyond that it is left up to the student to figure things out relegating the role of teacher to that of a mere observer. And while I don't think the teaching profession will ever be "officially" removed as much as their duties and responsibilities as facilitators of learning will be drastically reduced in light of more do-it-yourself approaches which, when you think about it, basically exist already in schools.

My point is all this dependence on technology should be tempered with caution. Sure it's all well and good when it works, but what happens when the power shuts off? And I'm not just talking about a few hours but more like years. Do you realize if we were hit by a massive solar flare it would knock out our electrical grids for good, and it would take a long time to get everything back up and running just for basic systems. Think about how much we depend on electricity in just one day. You probably don't even realize how dependent we are until it's gone.

"Poppycock," I hear you say. "That'll never happen!"

Yeah, well, they also thought the Titanic couldn't sink either.

Technology needs to be respected and not taken for granted. And it doesn't hurt if you know how to do things that don't include plugging something in or waiting for something to download. Just because everything is kosher now doesn't mean it will always be that way. We shouldn't blindly put our faith into all these gadgets and gizmos that are all around us. They're certainly nice to have, and they make life convenient, but too much dependence is a terrible mistake that we should be aware of and not allow ourselves to be swept away by complacency.