2008: A Techno Odyssey

I find the progression of the role of technology in our lives incredibly fascinating. Being alive, young, and ready to spend countless hours tinkering with gadgets and computers, I've been technologically minded since my first foray with The Legend of Zelda. From my understanding, which may be skewed due to my young age, The 90's were the first decade in which computers affected society in a major way. Everything from business, home life, even music was altered due to the rise of the personal computer.

A lot of rhetoric I've read from the 90's (and 80's I guess) seemed to postulate that the personal computer was taking over. Calculators were making kids bad at math. Video games were rotting kids brains. Electronic conversation was negating the need for personal interaction. Computers and technology were slowly taking over the "American way of life" and soon we were going to be an entire country/world of people that are completely engulfed by technology; completely losing sight of what it means to be human.

But now we are almost in the 2010's. Technology has changed. Businesses have become smarter. Gadgets and computers are being marketed as "life-aides" instead of "life-changers." The general trend of the products being released nowadays is that they are portable, provide as much information and connection with the internet as possible (for the purpose of obtaining this information whenever you may need it while leading your life), and fast.

It's almost as if products today are made to help you get things done faster so that you have more time to do whats important to you. This would be a big change from the 90's, when everybody first discovered the magic of a personal computer, and the internet. People were fascinated with what these new things could do, the limits and bounds of these new machines. Naturally, people became obsessed and technology boomed.

But what is out today that isn't just a modified and minified version of something released in 1990? Everyone's seen a computer, a laptop, a phone, a music player. Now all of these things are being combined and compressed, but they're still old news. Consumers have gotten bored of PC's, and more importantly used to the idea of them. Now new releases in technology have more of a base of experience to draw from.

Although I'm disappointed by the lack of people-moving walkways and flying cars, I think I'll live with my laptop, xbox 360, and morning coffee and newspaper. There's balance in everything.