Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for April 24, 2016
April 23, 2016
April 25, 2016
Transcript:
when I was 12, I used to write a poem every day, silly little verses-nothing much to say. I guess I had more hours then; life was leisurely! I could sit around all day, writing poetry. Now I have important things i'd like to put in rhyme but life is way too busy to write a single line! Where did all those hours go? It really is perplexing! I'd love to write a poem, but- Luann:hold on- someone's texting...
Technology was supposed to make our lives easier, giving us more free time to do what we want and to be together with loved ones, but in many ways it has done just the opposite.Now, with technology, everyone expects instantaneous responses to everything. If you don’t respond to a text immediately, you get another one asking “are you there?” or “Is something wrong? Where are you?” And if you don’t reply to those, you get a call from that person asking why you’re not responding to texts.It extends to the workplace, too, of course. Instead of giving humans more free time, businesses of course immediately figured out that if you can now do something in a third of the time that it used to take you to do it, then you have the other two-thirds of the time to do something else. So, all technology has done is increase the workload. More, more, more, and faster, faster, faster. Someone sends an email or a company IM to you and expects near-instantaneous responses.I’ve had people at work send me an IM. I’m busy talking to someone else, and the issue can wait, so I ignore it for now. The person then walks to my desk and stands behind me while I’m talking on the phone. Stands there for a while watching this, then walks back to his own desk and CALLS ME. Unbelievable. When I obviously don’t answer because I’m still on the phone, I get an email saying “I texted and called you a while ago but you didn’t answer.” Yeah…and guess what…I’m not going to answer your voice message or your email right now either, just because. Idiot.Technology also has changed behaviors for the worse. Couples at restaurants texting other people instead of talking with each other. Or, texting each other instead of talking to each other! WTH? Kids at family get-togethers that are completely disconnected from what is going on, instead just staring at their little screens the whole time and texting friends or looking at Facebook. Families on vacation where the younger generation (not to pick on them too much, but it’s definitely more true of younger people than older), are completely bored at whatever amazing National Park or landmark they’re at, because, you know, they Googled it already, saw it in 360 degrees on their computer screens, and now it’s basically just…“Seen it. Next.” So…Bryce Canyon…Googled it…just a bunch of weird looking rocks…BORING…when are we going home? Well, maybe just one selfie for Facebook. OK, done. NEXT!Oh, and the narcissistic use of selfie sticks. The most bizarre example of that was on a long hike to a distant, gorgeous lake. The hike was not very strenuous, so plenty of non-hardcore-hikers and non-hikers do it. But it is long, and it took all morning and the better part of an afternoon to reach the lake. The lake was fantastic. My partner and I were just sitting on a rock and gazing at it for a long time. Then here comes this young couple. The guy has a selfie stick. He looks completely serious and slightly bored. They walk up to the bank of the lake, turn around to face the other way so that the lake is behind them, hold up the selfie stick, smile fake smiles on cue, snap a shot, resume their bored, serious expressions, and then…walk away! — heading back down the hiking trail. We just sat there looking at them in amazement.Well, this was a bit of a rant, wasn’t it? Hahaha. I guess that’s one thing technology is good for. I can sit here at my computer and rant to strangers about computers. Oh well.Have a good Sunday, everyone. Put away those smartphones and get out and get some fresh air! That’s what I plan to do!