Rosenblog hates iPods!
Okay, I'm exaggerating. But Seattle's Matt Rosenberg really comes out swinging in a post arguing that iPods, laptops and cellphones are alienating Americans from each other, walling us off in our own virtual worlds, eroding the social mortar that binds the bricks of humanity, etc etc.
As a huge fan of technology, including but not limited to iPods, WiFi, instant messaging, video games, 10-cylinder sports cars, scramjet airplanes, nanotechnology, stem cell research, and sharks with head-mounted "lasers", I think Matt's take on the negative effects of modern consumer products is overly dour.
I sympathize with Matt's desire for more cohesive, in-touch communities, and while I don't have any figures or studies to back this up, I think a case can be made that technology may be bringing people closer rather than walling them off from each other.
If those people in the coffee shops didn't have wireless laptops, they wouldn't necessarily be doing volunteer work at the local soup kitchen or helping their elderly neighbor with her compost pile, they'd be stuck in a cubicle somewhere, even more walled off than they are now.
And they probably aren't IM'ing "other strangers", but more likely a distant work colleague or friend whom they may otherwise not be in touch with. I know I'm in contact with far more people than I was five years ago. And it's mainly because I can be in touch with them. Technology is the enabler.
Part of the problem is viewing the phenomenon in isolation. You walk into a coffee shop and, holy crap, it's a bunch of people geeking out with their latest toy, oblivious to the world around them. But what you don't see is how they then put the laptop or iPod away, get in their car and drive to the nursing home to deliver fruit baskets, or go coach the Little League game, or whatever.
Listening to an iPod on a bus isn't that far removed from reading a book. In some ways, it's better: at least if you're listening to music, your eyes can still engage the environment and take stock of interesting things and people. You can't smile at someone whose eyes are glued to a book. And it's not like once you've put in your earbuds you're obligated to listen to your entire music collection non-stop. That's what the "pause" button is for. Use it.
I prefer to see how products like MP3 players are delivering a standard of living that was unimaginable even 20 years ago. I view it as an unmitigated good thing that I can carry a music collection of nearly 3,500 songs in a device the size of a pack of cards? I'm not plugged into my Rio Karma 24/7, but I frequently carry it with me because I never know when I will have a chance to listen to some tunes. With a young kid at home and wife not fond of my beloved rock and blues music, I need to snatch whatever chance I have to weave some song into my life.
I'd also look to see what the effects of technology are close to home. Sure people might zone out on the bus or while popping out at work for coffee, but are they ignoring neighbors and family? Are they venturing out less? In the case of teens, okay, maybe. I sure spent an inordinate amount of time on the phone and in front of the TV as a youth, much to my parents' chagrin. But you know what? I grew out of that.
People naturally gravitate towards face-to-face interactions as they get older. Technology gets subsumed into the background rather than taking the spotlight at the forefront. My kid will grow up with IM as just another communication tool, in the same way I grew up with the telephone. But in the end, we all enjoy a cup of coffee with mom or a beer with the buddies. And who wouldn't rather engage in a vigorous game of naked Twister than go over tomorrow's big Power Point presentation one last time?
As with a lot of other things, it's about moderation. American civil society is not going to crumble just because I've got The Black Keys pounding my eardrums while I step out for some milk.
As a huge fan of technology, including but not limited to iPods, WiFi, instant messaging, video games, 10-cylinder sports cars, scramjet airplanes, nanotechnology, stem cell research, and sharks with head-mounted "lasers", I think Matt's take on the negative effects of modern consumer products is overly dour.
I sympathize with Matt's desire for more cohesive, in-touch communities, and while I don't have any figures or studies to back this up, I think a case can be made that technology may be bringing people closer rather than walling them off from each other.
If those people in the coffee shops didn't have wireless laptops, they wouldn't necessarily be doing volunteer work at the local soup kitchen or helping their elderly neighbor with her compost pile, they'd be stuck in a cubicle somewhere, even more walled off than they are now.
And they probably aren't IM'ing "other strangers", but more likely a distant work colleague or friend whom they may otherwise not be in touch with. I know I'm in contact with far more people than I was five years ago. And it's mainly because I can be in touch with them. Technology is the enabler.
Part of the problem is viewing the phenomenon in isolation. You walk into a coffee shop and, holy crap, it's a bunch of people geeking out with their latest toy, oblivious to the world around them. But what you don't see is how they then put the laptop or iPod away, get in their car and drive to the nursing home to deliver fruit baskets, or go coach the Little League game, or whatever.
Listening to an iPod on a bus isn't that far removed from reading a book. In some ways, it's better: at least if you're listening to music, your eyes can still engage the environment and take stock of interesting things and people. You can't smile at someone whose eyes are glued to a book. And it's not like once you've put in your earbuds you're obligated to listen to your entire music collection non-stop. That's what the "pause" button is for. Use it.
I prefer to see how products like MP3 players are delivering a standard of living that was unimaginable even 20 years ago. I view it as an unmitigated good thing that I can carry a music collection of nearly 3,500 songs in a device the size of a pack of cards? I'm not plugged into my Rio Karma 24/7, but I frequently carry it with me because I never know when I will have a chance to listen to some tunes. With a young kid at home and wife not fond of my beloved rock and blues music, I need to snatch whatever chance I have to weave some song into my life.
I'd also look to see what the effects of technology are close to home. Sure people might zone out on the bus or while popping out at work for coffee, but are they ignoring neighbors and family? Are they venturing out less? In the case of teens, okay, maybe. I sure spent an inordinate amount of time on the phone and in front of the TV as a youth, much to my parents' chagrin. But you know what? I grew out of that.
People naturally gravitate towards face-to-face interactions as they get older. Technology gets subsumed into the background rather than taking the spotlight at the forefront. My kid will grow up with IM as just another communication tool, in the same way I grew up with the telephone. But in the end, we all enjoy a cup of coffee with mom or a beer with the buddies. And who wouldn't rather engage in a vigorous game of naked Twister than go over tomorrow's big Power Point presentation one last time?
As with a lot of other things, it's about moderation. American civil society is not going to crumble just because I've got The Black Keys pounding my eardrums while I step out for some milk.
<< Home