Generations, Technology, & Me

Technology has taken over todays society. Everywhere we look we see technology. I believe there are very minimal places in the United States where you could go five minutes without seeing technology. Sometimes we don't realize the impact technology has on our lives however, there are very limited things we do that doesn't include technology. Even paper books are beginning to disappear due to the fact that any book we need is available on the internet a or on our phones, computers, tablets, etc. To figure out the exact way that technology effects me i have conducted an experiment cataloging my interactions with technology everyday.

Throughout my study I realized that there is very limited time when i am not using technology and the majority of that time is while i sleep however, I sometimes use technology while I sleep.  In addition i also realized that i actually do not use technology on the way to class and that may be the only time i refrain from my use. Although sometimes i do use my phone to text while i walk. My College career revolves around technology. Everything i do for college is technology oriented. It's very ironic to me about how i am writing this blog about my technological use while at the same time i sit at my laptop simply using technology without it crossing my mind. I find the older generations use of technology seems to be very interesting to me, so i interviewed three people and asked them about their personal experiences.

The first person i interviewed was my friends 9 year old little sister, Sarah. She grew up with everything technology. Sarah explained to me how everything she does involves technology. This made me realize that every time i go to their house i see either an iPad or a gaming system in her hand. She also told me that she embraces technology and loves it. For a nine year old Sarah seems very advanced for her age and she gives most of the credit to technology. If she doesn't know something she will simply look it up. Even I didn't have that possibility when i was 9. I grew up in the humongous boom of cell phone and texting use which really seemed to come alive when i was about 12. Sarah has had this privilege since she was born. However, the difference between Sarah and I's generation isn't nearly as great as the void that separates my mothers and my generation

My next interviewee was my mother. Born in the 1960s she didn't have any of the technological use that me or Sarah had. The first thing she told me was that when she went to school she didn't even ride a bus to school. The majority of her and her classmates walked to school everyday. In addition, she told me that cars had a huge impact on her life. As the oldest of four kids she was the one always in charge of driving her siblings most places. Even though my mother didn't grow up with a plethora of technology she adjusted to the new types very easily. She uses an iPhone and iPad like she's had them all her life which impresses my greatly even though she sometimes asks me for some help if she doesn't know some things. Sometimes to me it is weird to think about how different the generations just from me to my mother is. The use of technology truly does change drastically and without warning. The new things just seem to burst onto the scene without anyone realizing and it seems to effect the world greatly. Even though i thought the difference between me and mothers generations was amazing i was completely astounded by the difference between my mother and her mother.

 The third person i interviewed was my grandmother. Technology was practically non-existent compared to the mass amounts of technology used in todays world. The biggest impact on her life she told me was her radio. She told me about the times when she would tune in to listen to radio shows and the baseball games with her father. Although she loved the radio in her early childhood she said that nothing compared to getting her first color TV in the 1960s. She said the whole family would crowd around and watch it together. As surprising as it is to me my Grandmother and Grandfather really embrace technology and love it. At times i think that my grandfather can use an iPad better than most people or even i can. This fact impresses me greatly. Mostly everything they do revolves around technology today. One of their favorite things to do is to take pictures and put them on their iPad to show all the relatives. The old way used to be just taking a picture and adding it to the family photo album. Don't get me wrong there are still tons of photo albums at my grandparents house just like any other grandparents, however they are now leaning more towards doing it all on technology due to the simplicity and easiness of it.

My study has opened my eyes greatly to todays world of technology. I never realized how drastically the generations have changed. From a nine year old that has had technology at her finger tips since she was born to a grandmother that has adjusted impressively to todays use of technology. As you can see technology truly is everywhere in todays world and even into the past. Everything we do involves it and there is no way around it. Sometimes i do wonder, what is next? What could the next amazing thing be to come out and completely change everything. I encourage many people to conduct an experiment such as this one, it truly does open eyes and makes you realize the crazy things technology does for us. Thank you for reading my blog and stay tuned for my next post i will have.