Information technology – it’s everywhere we look. We interact with it everyday, often without thinking about it, sometimes without being aware that it’s there. In our homes, offices, even in restaurants and public places. This piece of technology enables us to store, find, send and receive information. It makes communication quicker and more convenient for users. No doubt life has been made easier with technology as it plays a very dominant role in our every sphere of life. It becomes the defining characteristic of the millennial generation with the introduction to social media where everyone stays connected and updated. You are considered old school if you don’t have at least a couple of technology devices in your household. Technology per se becomes a necessity to human kind, an addition to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.
As a millennial I won’t deny I use IT in my everyday life. Although nothing beats my technology-less childhood which consists of running around the neighborhood, playing with my friends and getting excited over letters from my so-called “penpals”. Nowadays people become couch potatoes, kids prefer to lock themselves in their rooms while bingeing on their gadgets, people ordering stuff online rather than going to the store, and friends keeping up-to-date through facebook and twitter. I must admit, I too became dependent on computers and technology that I find it quite difficult now for me to work without them. Sometimes I look back at the times when I had to write essays for several days. Now writing can be finished within a day using MS Word.
I currently work in an environment surrounded with Baby Boomers and Gen X people. As I’ve observed they’ve been having a hard time getting used to the technology that we have today. Given the generation gap, although I was just a newbie to the team I found myself in a position where I get to teach my supervisor the basics of using computer applications. Because of my technical skills I became the go-to person whenever she needs help in sending emails, troubleshooting devices, and the like. It provided us with the opportunity for close interaction between me and my boss.
Changes in technology affects our social attitudes as well. As Einstein once said, “It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity”. Because of heavy reliance on information technology we develop the mentality that everything should be fast-paced and that information should be readily available and accessible in the Internet. We spend so much time absorbing irrelevant information because of its availability and its wide variety of content. The credibility of information weakens as anyone can make their own data and facts. Privacy and security are compromised as well. I believe that authorized books and printed materials are still the best sources of information. Despite the risks, it is almost impossible to avoid technological dependence. We should assess these risks and consider the effects of information technology in our lives. Information technology is indeed essential for us but can be destructive at the same time, might as well handle IT with care.
Image sources:
https://www.cognoscape.com/brief-history-of-information-technology-security/
http://billaporter.com/lollygaggin/
My Life in Technicolor 