I read an article this week about the presence of technology in our everyday lives conducted by Future Laboratory for Virgin Media, who found that people are getting more and more anxious if they are disconnected from technology than they were in previous years. The study claims that people no longer view technology as a means to get information more quickly, but instead as a necessity in their everyday lives. At one point, turning off your cell phone meant taking a break from the hectic world and stopping for a minute to enjoy the company of your friends, family, or some peace and quiet. Now, I don’t know many people who would ever turn their cell phones off. Working vacations are much easier, advanced technology has allowed for cell phone service in even the most remote areas, and with smart phones, people don’t even need a computer to email whomever they need directly.
This study found that 85-percent of full-time moms are connected to the Internet all day, and that a third of all surveyed didn't feel "guilty" about having their cell phones or computers turned on at all times. Other than moms, 36-percent of all people surveyed said they felt nervous about losing touch with family when their connection disappears, but only 29-percent described a sense of liberation. In this day and age, a dead phone means changing plans to go get to your charger immediately, or a trip to the phone store to get it fixed right away. Did you ever notice how those poor people working at the Verizon store are always getting screamed at by customers? It’s because each customer is panicking about their broken phone that they need fixed immediately in order to continue on with life. And a lost cell phone, forget it, all of your contacts are gone and you have no way to get in touch for DAYS!
I never turn my cell phone off. I am always using my Blackberry to email in between classes, and the other day I had seven emails that had accumulated during one class period. And I’m a college student, not yet even in corporate America, where it just gets worse. Now that I have access to my email from my cell phone, I could never imagine not being able to access it. When I studied abroad in Italy last semester, I had assumed I would need to use my computer and Skype to communicate with people back home. Then I saw students using their Blackberrys the same way they did in America, bbming, emailing, going online, and found out that you just need to insert an international chip into your phone and could use the online services just as easily. And of course, my mom sent me that chip immediately. In all seriousness, it was great to have because calling was so expensive and while I was traveling it was difficult to get to a computer, so to let my family know I was safe I could email them after each flight. I felt much more comfortable being connected to my family and my boyfriend through my Blackberry. So much so, that when I dropped it in the sink in a crowded bathroom in Florence, and realized there was no Verizon store in the entire country to go get it fixed, I was horrified! I managed to ship it home and get a replacement, but what does this say about me, about our society, about our need to be connected at all times?
Technology has become a huge part of our lives, and has helped us to obtain and exchange information with lightning speed. I’ve noticed, however, that when people are disconnected from technology, if the Internet in their apartment stops working or if their phone does not have service, people feel like they are going to “miss something.” Everyone is worried about being informed, and because information travels so fast, if you don’t hear about it immediately, you feel like you’re going to “miss something.” What’s worse is that this information follows you wherever you go. Leaving work now days doesn’t mean that work is over until tomorrow, because you still have constant access any problems or situations occurring. A heavy dependence on this type of technology is what makes it more difficult to be disconnected. I personally wonder if people realize this trend, or if it is only going to get worse.
Link to article: http://www.switched.com/2009/10/15/people-get-anxious-when-disconnected/
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