As 2012 drew to a close, we celebrated all that had been achieved; the Olympics, the world not ending and Obama being elected over Romney. These momentous occasions were celebrated all over the world, but these events are not all that was accomplished over the last year. The iPhone 5 (the lightest, fastest phone yet), the Kindle Fire, and the iPad mini just to name a few. All of these amazing technological developments have been unveiled to high praise and rapturous applause.
However, is all of this technology good for us? Or is it just making us lazier and slowly but surely making us totally socially incapable? It struck me on my train up to York at the start of term. I was sitting in a carriage and noticed that no one was talking, not even a whisper. I concluded that this must be the silent carriage. One where any noise would warrant an angry look from the northern businessmen sitting all around the overcrowded northern express. But no, I looked up and discovered the reason that no sound was emanating from carriage C from Kings Cross to York station: every single person was on his or her smart phone. My neighbour was checking Facebook, others were on Twitter, some were watching programmes and a few were even doing work.
I cling onto the vain hope that I am not coming across as an exaggerated character from Grumpy Old Men talking about how much I miss the ‘golden years’. However I do have to say, I do miss the way people used to say hello, or vaguely nod their head when they passed one another in a corridor. Now there is no need, because you are consumed by your iPod or your conversation on the phone. Stopping a stranger in the street to ask for directions is now an incredibly archaic idea. A Sat Nav needs only a postcode, and on foot you can always use Google maps. There is less and less reason for people to interact.
So as genuine relations become less common, as does the chance of meeting that special someone. The rise in Internet dating is merely a symptom of our automated generation. In the USA, 40 million people have tried Internet dating. When speaking to people who have tried the phenomenon, successfully or otherwise, they explained that it had become difficult to meet people in real life. With the percentage of single and married people decreasing as time goes on, it is easy to assume that this must be to do with less interaction between people. This is not only sanctioned but encouraged by our modern world.
In the olden days I have been told that people would arrange to meet at a specific place at a certain time. This bred a generation of punctuality and reliability. While I still view these as revered, important qualities, they are becoming far more rare as time goes on. It is so common nowadays to delay a meeting with a single text or make the appointment entirely redundant with an extended mobile phone conversation or email exchange.
Were you aware that there is an app on the iPhone called ‘find my phone?’ If you ever lose your phone, you can get a signal that will send a message to whoever finds it. These days, you can even find your car keys with a bleeper. You can put an alert on your purse for those days that you have put it down and “just can’t find it anywhere.” Sony has just brought out a waterproof phone. Dropping it in the bath couldn’t even stop you. This makes organization redundant, it used to be critical for our existence and now it is far easier to rely on your electronic items.
Our mobile phones are getting smarter, faster and more powerful by the day. At this stage, you will never have to turn the paper page of a book again, the Kindle has seen to that. The way things are going, if I were to do produce this article in a year’s time, I would be dictating instead of typing. This will be viewed as progress for mankind, but I for one, will miss the good old-fashioned writing.