George Ball. That's my grandpa, and though he may not know it he is not a typical grandparent. Why you ask? Well grandpa Ball, at 85 years young is known for three things in my family: His crush on Beyonce Knolls, his copious emails and of course texting. Yup, Grandpa Ball is quite tech sauvy it would seem, he even bought a phone with a full qwerty keyboard in order to text faster. My grandpa is the prime example of technologies vice grip on this knew age. Now, while it is indeed entertaining to receive a text from my Grandpa, I can't help but think how deeply my own electronic addiction seeps into my every day life, and really makes me stop to think:
What did I do while waiting for the bus before cell phones came out?
It is still crazy to think that cell phones were not around when I was growing up, or even how the internet was still really in its commercial infancy. Yet now I cannot imagine a day devoid of my electronic distractions: iPod, laptop, cell phone, digital camera, playstation portable. Come to think of it I think I spend more time staring at some sort of screen than looking at the world around me. This is the dawning of the fully digital age. While Don Norman argues that we are Analog creatures in his article, "Being Analog", I would have to say that idea is shifting towards a digital mind set. How can we remain Analog beings if everything around us becomes digitized? In my own typical day of commuting I will wait spend my time waiting for the bus on my cell phone browsing the internet, followed by some video games on the underground, watching TV on youtube between classes, and repeated all the way home .....sigh....I am more machine than man.
