Being a blogger and writing about new technology in the mobile space is an exciting thing to do. If you also are recognized by the more established peers then it’s absolutely awesome! I have been continuously reviewing phones for over a year now. Having the privilege of trialling and reviewing devices and apps before they are launched to people, gives me quite a kick! Not to mention the flaunt value!
Blogging has not only allowed me to voice my opinion about technology but also shape it in my own little way. I will admit very candidly that I am not in the league of Howard Chui or Ricky Cadden or the many other ‘A’ list bloggers. But I’m working to get there. Bloggers as such are a very close knit community, atleast us mobile bloggers are. We are always connected and in touch with each other (well almost all of us are!). Due to this, sometimes you come across a lot of blogger pals who hit you up with something very interesting and then you can’t help but have a very interesting discussion.
Today was one such day, a good friend of mine Ubertechnophile called me up to tell me how he had changed from a mid-high end smart phone to a feature phone. he had gone from using an E72 to using a Nokia 6303 classic. Needless to say we got talking and he told me the reason for doing it. he said that he still used Twitter, Facebook and other such things, but he did not want to use it on his phone anymore. Email, a service which I religiously use was also given up by my friend as he did not want to be told a new email every 15 minutes. This got me stumped, because here was a guy who was and still is a hardcore techie. What then happened, suddenly?
When he gave me the the reason for this sudden change I realized, how technology was not only enabling but also enslaving us.
By having emails on our phones, have we made it easier to communicate with the world or made our live more difficult and complicated? Access to Twitter, Facebook and other social networking sites through our mobile phones, has it allowed us to become more social or vice versa?
Before you jump to any conclusions and accuse me, let me tell you I use all of these solutions on my mobile phone. I get emails pushed to my phone, I do check my Twitter feed occasionally and access my Facebook profile frequently through my mobile phone. It is certainly exciting and allows me to be mobile and not bound to a PC for these activities. But I am not constantly connected to them, neither do I check it every few minutes. I do not have a pressing desire to be accessible, online every minute of the day.
So then why did I say that we are being enslaved by technology?
Are we really smiling?
The reason is quite simple and something I did not quite realize until my friend pointed it out to me. People are increasingly using technology not out of choice but out of pressure. And there are a lot of people who are simply addicted to it, they need to check their Twitter feed, Facebook profile and mailboxes every few minutes and see what is happening, because it’s the “in thing” and also because of the constant pressure of being available ‘online’.
I’m sure there are people who would say that technology and mobile devices have made life simpler and easier, there will yet be another group which will disagree and state otherwise.
With the way technology is progressing, a lot of new services and devices are being introduced, each promising the moon. The question that comes to my mind is, do we really need them?
Every year people buy devices that allow them to the above things with more efficiency and greater speed, but how many of them really know why they are buying it and what will it simplify for them? It is certainly a point to ponder…
So when my friend says that he has moved from a smartphone to a feature phone, it’s simply because he wants to live a life that does not include tweeting about how the soup tasted at Joe’s cafe or how how he’s feeling under the sun. He’s just exploring a life that is less connected to an online world.
As for me, I’m still doing reviews and telling you of new things in the world of phones. But that does not mean I want you to try it and use it. At the end of the day technology should help you to do things easily. So if by using a mobile phone with certain features makes life easier then you should go ahead and use it. Don’t use it because everybody around you is using it or because it’s cool. Use it because it makes life simpler.
I’d love to hear what you think about it. Leave your opinions below in the comments space. i’d love to know your thoughts regarding this post of mine.
Perfect analysis and furthering of what we spoke. This is exactly why I did what I did. I still have a very strong passion for electronic gadgetry (phones, devices etc.), but somehow – I have the feeling we’re all being enslaved by it. I fear we’re all going to end up like the ‘red dots’ you see when you get a GPS lock – Mindless drones.
Technology should be an enabler for making life easier, not the sole means of existence – personally, that’s what it had become for me. Kudos dude, awesome post!
Indeed, UberTechno and I had a talk bout this too. Expensive cell phone buying is just an extended ego trip. Although I do not have high end phones and don’t feel the need for the same, I’m quite a geek. I love technology in general. However, I also follow a very Buddhist approach to it. I buy what I need and sometimes the definition of need is varied but most of the times it is in check. Although reviewing and using technology for a limited time frame is acceptable, I am not one to immediately implement it into my life. So it’s alright to use it and trust me, using it hugely depends on what kind of a person you are. Don’t get too addicted to 0s and 1s, it’s not gonna get you anywhere
(P.S.: I just bought a 1TiB WD HDD which is almost half full already
) lol
Cheers!
great blog topic! and very timely, what with CES, the release of the Nexus One and the iPad announcement just to name a few. technology has changed how we interact with the world, the horse has left the barn on that one, no looking back. in my work, respohnses to email are expected within 30 minutes or so, if not someone begins to wonder if you’re out sick or avoiding them. We now use our gagdets to fill “empty” time, while waiting on a line or an airport or during a commute. but what about folks who tweet ot sms while driving? anything taken to an extreme can be indicative of addictive behavior. Me? I love my Nokia N900, but my wife keeps me honest and I her (with her iPhone 3G). we can’t lose our relationships because we’ve been “socially” liberated. Our flesh and blood relationships must take precedence.
My wife is calling, gotta go
Ah, reflecting on the implications of tech… great stuff.
It takes one to be mature about assessing the need/want and amount of tech/connections in their lives. Different people have different filters for this – I hope. And those who are newer to this type of connectivity, need to be shown the positives and negatives of it by us who are connected and sorting out these implications and benefits.
For me, my faith is the filter that I use. Its the discipline towards being a Christian that I use as the main filter for determining the value of the technology, its connective need/want, and the implication. Can’t say that I’m always perfect in my application, but like living the rest of life through a faith-based filter, there’s a lot of walking forward, backward, repenting, and relearning.
Thanks for posting this.
One of the best tech articles i’ve ever read. It’s such interesting talking about human behaviours to respond technology. I am a mobile enthusiast and have been “obsessed” with smartphone since had nokia 6120 classic. I was amaze how big impact of such small device to simplify my life.
Currently i am owning 5800 and e71. I don’t use laptop totally at home as my needs are covered by of the two phones (only use laptop at office).
Mostly i use my 5800 for browsing, listen musics watching videos, and sometimes catch some pictures. My e71 is used for emailing, organizing and sometimes chatt with friends. My very favorite applications are opera mini, snaptu and nimbuzz as they cover my needs and absolutely free. I use snaptu for reading and writing updates on twitter and facebook, also reading tech, health and fashion news on The Guardian (sometimes to tweet them), checking out words i don’t understand in Dictionary and sometimes take a look at Flickr. If i want to chatt or voip call, i use Nimbuzz.
I work far away from my partner live and my place is such small town with there are nothing entertainment in the night. After work, i just stay at home.
I am honestly prefer connecting face to face with my good friends and ones i love but i am far away from them. I think in case like me, mobile technology become very helpfull. When i am with my partner i almost no use my phones.
I have a married friend who often chatt with her husband (both use blackberry) in their house. I was shocked when i heard her story.
By the way, i hope i won’t be enslaved by technology.
Have a great day
True, people get more and more depended to the technology. It has enslaved us like every new invention has. Now, it is for us to decide whether we want to be enslaved by it or not.
Hey there Chief.
I admire how simply you write and reflect both sides of the argument. I’d definitely hail being constantly connected to the outside world wirelessly and through the internet… a MIXED BLESSING. It all boils down to which team do you play for.
As for the whole bit on ‘Making life easier..’….I coudn’t agree more on the need to let technology meet your unique needs as opposed to using it to meet the approval of one’s peers and to impress your hedonistic cousin.
Here’s to technology – both blessing and disguise.
Hey there Chief.
I admire how simply you write and reflect both sides of the argument. I’d definitely hail being constantly connected to the outside world wirelessly and through the internet… a MIXED BLESSING. It all boils down to which team do you play for.
As for the whole bit on ‘Making life easier..’….I coudn’t agree more on the need to let technology meet your unique needs as opposed to using it to meet the approval of one’s peers and to impress your hedonistic cousin.
Here’s to technology – both blessing and disguise.
The race for having the latest, quickest and the newest is at the root of what you are really saying in your post. It starts as a harmless fascination for several features, whether needed or not, which soon turns into an addiction! An enabler ends up becoming an enslavement. We need to seriously examine if it is really that imperative that we need to be available on-line to all and sundry at all times?
A very well written piece. I liked it immensely.
There is obviously a lot to learn. There are some good points here.
Technology is only as good as the system that supports it or gets it working. The system that supports it could be a massive engine or a microchip. When I lived abroad any electrical or electronic item that stopped working was never repaired; it went straight into tips/landfill sites from where (we were told) it was sent to third world countries. What for? Keep my backyard clean and tidy and dump it in someone else’s? The amount of e-waste that was generated was unbelievable. I can vouch for this as I worked for a division of the EA (Environmental Agency). And I can tell you 9 times out of 10 these items were only purchased because ‘he/she-has-it-i-must-have-it-too’ or by ‘oh-my-god-i-can’t-live-without-it’ types. Enslaved or what?
Well put.