A lot has changed since 2001: politics, economics, and, perhaps most radically, technology. In the past seven years, technology has not only seeped into mainstream culture, but become intertwined with our daily lives. During this brief time, I have upgraded through five cell phones, each more advanced than the next. I have upgraded from a Walkman, that only played one CD, to a Ipod, that I never leave home without. I have gone from a desk computer to a laptop with wireless internet that I can now use at my local Starbucks. This new technology is not simply an upgrade from the old, but become a part of my life because of the convenience it provides, mostly thanks to the Internet. I can do everything from paying my electric bill automatically, and balancing my checkbook online, but also to put part of myself out there for the world to see. Thanks to social networks like Facebook and Myspace, I am to keep in touch with friends across the country. As an artist, I am able to post my resume online for future employers, and post video of my work on sights like YouTube for the masses to enjoy. But with so much exposure and access, it can be very overwhelming.
Even sitting here now, my life is on sensory overload. I am on my MacBook, IM-ing with a friend who is in Denver, listening to Internet Radio on Pandora.Com, and constantly checking my Facebook and email every few minutes. They are quite a distraction to this assignment. It probably would have taken me a few short, focused minutes to complete this response, but instead it has turned to an hour long game of procrastination and distraction. While ironically one of the many benefits of the internet is that it can help you be more efficient when it comes to commuting (nextmuni.com), buying books for school (amazon.com), going to the movies (fandango.com), staying in touch with friends you otherwise would not see again until you ten year high school reunion (facebook, myspace), and even dating (eharmony.com), the internet can also be like going to the grocery store for just a gallon of milk, and leaving with a cart full of food you did not need. I may go online simply to check my email, but then have to check Facebook, BBC News, YouTube, and check my Netflix status. In doing all this, I have wasted more time then I intended, all because the Internet provides me with too much information at my fingertips. It’s too much for my ADD mind to handle.
It is as if part of my life exists only in the digital realm, and I must designate a portion of my day to this life online. I sometimes wonder if I am missing out on truly living, in the real world, by living vicariously through the Internet. But at the end of the day, the pros out way the cons. Even worse is the fact that there is no going back, we have come to far in the digital era. Instead we must be aware of the cons of a society that is intertwined with the internet and learn from our human errors.
