Where the System Reigns

With a highly connected, accessible, and wireless world, possibilities seem to be endless. However, they are just that - endless. The world has become a monotone place providing an infinite amount of distracting resources. This plethora of information is re-programing the individual to work by the binary coding of one's computer and the tick of one's time device. What happened to the world where humans acted and reacted to how they felt? Those days are gone and have been traded in for a world where humans are just a part of a big equation, and I do not think I'm okay with that.

I strongly agree with Carr's statement on the net's presence in the lives of people today. The internet and information resources are not necessarily making people less knowledgeable or futile in any way, rather, information technology is changing the way people approach life. I think that this new self that has been formed in reaction to information technology is not nearly as creative or in depth as the minds that precedent them because they are swallowed in the world of convenience. I think imagination and creativity are extremely important to humans because theses qualities add variety and spice to what can otherwise become a mundane way of life. Our lives now revolve around iLife, Facebook, Twitter, and our cellphones. What happened to face-to-face interaction? Phone calls? Thank-you notes? Personalized invitations? Written love letters? The internet is enabling people to get comfortable in this easier way of life that can get away with little to no creativity because everyone is doing it.

Pardon my stance on the issue, but as a sociology major, effective human interaction and social behavior is essential for influential decision-making and a productive society. Has anyone ever thought that some of the troubles in the world could be solved with more human interaction and less technological innovation? I believe a medium between accessibility, technology, and what would now be considered "old-fashioned" means of education and knowledge should be found. We as individuals cannot completely lose the purpose information serves to us and take it for granted by skimming and allowing our thoughts to wallow into a world of obscurity.