Abby Boyle is a sophomore at the College of William and Mary.
It’s not often that we have to physically venture into the outside world or even leave the house to receive information, or to communicate with another person. With Internet access, a television, or a working home phone, cell phone or smartphone, we can answer any question or contact anyone we want from the comfort of our own homes. However, when the use of all of these items is no longer possible, it’s evident how much we depend on technology and how different our lives would be without it.
When we lost power a few weeks ago, the worst parts of the several day experience definitely had to be living without air conditioning in 100-degree weather and the general lack of light in the house. At the same time, though, I was a little surprised by how isolated I felt without the ability to get on the Internet inside the house, rely on my cell phone or home phone (our service provider and cable were both down), or even just turn on the TV. While not having access to any of these pieces of technology does make for a boring few days, it also made daily life a little bit more difficult.
For example, I had no idea how much I use the Internet on a daily basis, not only for checking Facebook or Twitter, but for looking up any information I need to access quickly, like the times that a movie is showing or even just the answer required to settle an argument. Similarly, even though I’m not an avid texter, I didn’t realize how much I like having the ability to send a friend a quick message or make a 30-second phone call until I was no longer able to gain reliable cell phone service inside my own house.
Losing access to technology for only a few days also made me think about how different my life would be without the devices I tend to take for granted. Yes, I could probably do without knowing what my friends are up to 24/7, thanks to social networking and texting, and I definitely don’t need to watch some of the mindless entertainment that can be found on TV (or Netflix), but I think it would be lonelier to be completely isolated without those means of communication and diversion from the everyday life. In the world we live in today, the idea of leading a technology-less life would be a very daunting prospect.
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Lights Out in a Digital World
It’s not often that we have to physically venture into the outside world or even leave the house to receive information, or to communicate with another person. With Internet access, a television, or a working home phone, cell phone or smartphone, we can answer any question or contact anyone we want from the comfort of our own homes. However, when the use of all of these items is no longer possible, it’s evident how much we depend on technology and how different our lives would be without it.
When we lost power a few weeks ago, the worst parts of the several day experience definitely had to be living without air conditioning in 100-degree weather and the general lack of light in the house. At the same time, though, I was a little surprised by how isolated I felt without the ability to get on the Internet inside the house, rely on my cell phone or home phone (our service provider and cable were both down), or even just turn on the TV. While not having access to any of these pieces of technology does make for a boring few days, it also made daily life a little bit more difficult.
For example, I had no idea how much I use the Internet on a daily basis, not only for checking Facebook or Twitter, but for looking up any information I need to access quickly, like the times that a movie is showing or even just the answer required to settle an argument. Similarly, even though I’m not an avid texter, I didn’t realize how much I like having the ability to send a friend a quick message or make a 30-second phone call until I was no longer able to gain reliable cell phone service inside my own house.
Losing access to technology for only a few days also made me think about how different my life would be without the devices I tend to take for granted. Yes, I could probably do without knowing what my friends are up to 24/7, thanks to social networking and texting, and I definitely don’t need to watch some of the mindless entertainment that can be found on TV (or Netflix), but I think it would be lonelier to be completely isolated without those means of communication and diversion from the everyday life. In the world we live in today, the idea of leading a technology-less life would be a very daunting prospect.