Wired Less Day

A couple of seats down from me, there was this guy hammering away on his laptop. Next to him, someone else was on her BlackBerry, and next to her, another couple people busy fiddling with their cell phones.

You’d expect this scene to happen in any office, but I was on the subway. Technology is everywhere these days. I even hear others chatting away in the bathroom stall next to me when I’m doing “my business.”

I know the Internet is addictive, and some get addicted to sending text messages, or even online chat rooms – but sometimes I wonder if we aren’t being preconditioned by the corporate greed to be addicted.

Seeing people open up their laptops on the subway is a new phenomenon. I’ve seen it in years past, but that was rare. These days, it is becoming a very common thing. Having Internet wireless hotspots at coffee shops is also a relatively new thing – which is helping drive the additions of our technologically starved society.

It used to be, people would go to a coffee shop to escape the office, and just have a nice, normal chat with co-workers. Now, we’re seeing people grab their BlackBerry, or iPhone, or laptop, and surf and chat online while sipping their double-chocolate raspberry coffee latte, with extra foam.

The second I get out of the office, what’s one of the first things I do? Check my cell for messages. When I get home, again, one of the first things I do is check my emails and messages.

Technology has always been changing at an alarmingly hyper-fast pace. The industry was smart to design itself a model where whatever is hot and high-tech now, becomes obsolete in three-months – it guarantees consumer demand.

But this hyper-fast pace is also killing society, by taking away the simple pleasures we once enjoyed. Taking a coffee break to chat online, or text message just isn’t the same as sitting across from a living, breathing person, and actually talking to them. Standing on a busy subway car isn’t the same, when you have half the car fiddling with their wireless devices. Not to mention, it is a bit unsettling – you never know if they are taking pictures of you with their cell phone cams, or webcams and sending those all over the world.

The greeting card companies – notorious for inventing holidays which no one gets off, but require a greeting card, such as boss’ day (which apparently occurs this month) should create a day which bans technology, in honour of just being human. Maybe they can call it Wired Less Day?