Clifford Stoll in his book, Silicon Snake Oil, admitted that he used to be an internet addict.. he enjoyed keeping in touch with people around the world. THe WOrld is No Longer RounD..It is Flat! Internet knows no boundaries. It hooks everyone incuding him ( and Me!) People get connected in the virtual world..everyone seems so near , yet so far! It 'has cheapen the meaning of actual experince'. People need to wake up! In the sixty- minutes time spent surfing the net for something that is not real, why not spend the time with real people outdoors.. it makes life more meaningful. People are clamoring..'Safe the environment..safe the trees!!' and then comes along online post-cards, emails and.... People just need to have a computer ... and click. Out pop a colorful 'card' accompanied with music/ voice/ animation/garphics appear before them on the screen. It stays on the screen.. that's all! If you try to print it out, all the animation and sound are all gone. If you happen to have good quality paper... then at least you can get to decorate your locker or tack it up on the wall in front of your office table. But.. how many people out there in the world have access to computer and have good quality paper?? And worst of all, where's the human touch? Stoll contended that email is often 'undependable.. impersonal and boring... A handwritten letter is arguably cheaper, more reliable and far more expressive'(p.17) E-mail takes time to be read and this includes junk mails (p.30).
Well, what Stoll says brings in some sense there... No doubt, in this rapid and busy time, who has time to decorate a letter and post it? For any work to run efficiently and punctually, email is the best mode... but work is work.. no need human touch... all people are concerned is $$$. People even work from home. You can't run away from emails. You'll be questioned if your emails are not replied as soon as possible. Even when one is sick or on leave..one can't live without checking the mails.. to ensure that work 'runs' as efficient as can be. (UrGGGhh!)
I agree with Stoll to a larger extent. As for human touch, I remembered the time when I received Teachers' Day card from my students.. Some created their own cards with their little creative hands while others used the computer to produce a beautiful card with the keyboard. I tend to appreciate the former than the latter.. I suppose its natural.. human likes human touch and not computer touch!
Mmm.. I have only started reading this book.. and I am beginning to reflect on my own internet 'obsession'. With I-phone in hand, internet is just one click away.. something has to be done. YEs, internet provides the channel to all sorts of information but what about the time taken to make the right choice = ^
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Agree Agree Agree!! Human touch is taking back seat eversince technology took over.
ReplyDeleteIs technology at war with tactile experiences?
In another lecture I attended we were discussing that when students are shown pictures of flowers (via the ease of the internet), rather than to bring them on field trips, the tactile experience is not achieved.
Well one incident that struck me was my recent trip to London. Because it was snowing so badly and it was really cold, it was difficult to go sight-seeing and I remembered commenting that.. I am so going to tell people I have seen the London bridge in london (but I am going to conceal the fact that I saw London bridge on the google images on my computer in London). To me, it kind of meant the same thing to me at that time.
I was not really keen on viewing it in the bitter cold so I had opted for viewing the picture on google in the comfort of the heated room. In the process, I had traded the life-experience which will involves all my senses with 'a cheapened experience'. Now I am kind of regretting it, wish I had taken the trouble and had braved the cold to go view it!!! My laziness plus reliance on technology has robbed me indeed.
People still have time to decorate cards but they don't want to, because to them it is not as enjoyable as playing games or watching a movie. Gradually it's a habit not to do so and being busy is the best excuse. Sometimes it's not we ourselves make us busy, it's the technology, it's the life in which we have may things to do and we have so many alternatives. That's why some people will pay a lot to live in the little village for several days, without internet or even phone, to get rid of the LIFE.
ReplyDeleteSo internet creators are not that addicted, because the more you know it, the less you will use it.ss