Society is Dead: We Have Retreated into the iWorld

It's funny when you see something happen, then read it and shake your head up and down thinking to yourself "couldn't have said it any better myself." Reading Society is Dead: We Have Retreated into the iWorld had me doing that a good portion of the time. One of the first "YES" moments for me was when the author, Andrew Sullivan, says "Technology has given us a universe entirely for ourselves--where the serendipity of meeting a new stranger, hearing a piece of music we would never choose for ourselves or an opinion that might force us to change our mind about something are all effectively banished." Although the author is mostly referring to the iPod, I think that phones are a big part of that too--especially the "meeting a new stranger" part. It seems that people often use technology as an "out." Admit it, you have pulled your phone out and pretended to text someone in an awkward situation. Even though this article is Manhattan-based, this happens in the very halls of Illinois Central College. People plug into their iPods and shut the world out for the 4 minutes it takes to walk to class. I don't think we should all jump back to the 1800's and pretend like technology had never been invented. In many ways, technology has improved our communication. Sullivan summarizes the cons of technology without pointing out the pros. It is handy to have music at the touch of a finger (literally) and for some people, it makes the days a little shorter and easier. But the fact of the matter is--as the author points it out--that now that people have a reason to avoid each other, they do. Some are too busy listening to music, others talking on the phone. It used to be that something outside of your control sparked your interest, but now people are more in control of what they see and hear. We aren't being challenged the way we used to, in our thoughts or beliefs. We are seeing only what we want to see, and that makes for a pretty boring society--especially for people like us, who thrive on innovation and challenging the old stuff. Technology may be advancing, but we are going backwards with it.