This morning, it occurred to me while stepping off the crowded metro and trying to find some peace of mind before I arrived at work that I should start a blog devoted to the the 21st century conflict of media and technology dependence versus the drive for present-grounding experiences and moments that bring us closer to nature and humanity. I realize that technology dependence is not a new phenomena ( one could argue that the 20th century brought a significantly larger and more impactful change with regard to technology and the way we live our lives , e.g. the television, the computer, cell phones) however I have a feeling that we are on the cusp of something even greater and perhaps more destructive.
I am a product of the baby boomer generation, which makes me an echo-boomer. As echo-boomers, I see my peers plagued with the attraction and familiarity of using different forms of technology at all stages of our day-almost as if our iphones and ipods have become entrenched in our souls. Though I have progressive parents who are aligned and familiar with the cultural shifts in the use of technology and new media, I witness a huge division between generations in the workplace-where it can be difficult as an echo boomer to work with baby boomers or even the generations in between. To an extreme, it has become a situation of those who are fluid users of technology ( let's call them Intuitives) and those who are not ( let's call them Baby-boomers, haha j/k no Concretists). Now this is not a blog about bashing my peers nor those who are technology-challenged (Concretists) nor those who are addicted to their Blackberrys and posting their minute-by-minute update on Facebook, but rather to comment, reflect and highlight some of the challenges we face during this technology-driven cultural revolution.
In this cultural shift of technology taking over our lives ( not if we don't let it!), we all play a significant role in the moment to moment choices that we make. Part of this blog is also about taking the time to remember life and embrace the moments we have with each other, face-to face. What is our relationship with the environments we live in? When is the last time you walked outside without your ipod on? As a Washington DC commuter who frequently uses the metro and listens to my ipod every chance I can get, I asked myself this same question and was alarmed that I couldn't remember the last time I was outside, alone, without my headphones on. I couldn't even remember the last time where I just walked and observed my surroundings!
It's the small things that I think our society can do better on. Hold the door open for someone, even if they're 10 seconds away. Communicate. Not just through email but through conversation.
Until the next....
-Twisted Composure
" The present is a gift and I just want to be."
-Common
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