The cost of technology

I realised how dependent I was on technology when my laptop went for repairs - two days seemed like decades

Narmeen Tariq January 14, 2011
Humans are exposed to technology on a daily basis. There is no doubt that it has blessed us in many ways and if it wasn't for the wonders of technology, we would still be living in the dark ages. However, at the same time, it is important to maintain a balance.

For starters, children are no longer interested in outdoor activities anymore. They would much rather be engrossed in their Play Stations and Wii. The culture of reading books is dying out. We would rather spend time watching TV and spend countless hours on the internet.

Another important factor is the decline of face-to-face communication. I realised how dependent I was on technology when my laptop went for repairs. The two days seemed like two decades.

In today’s fast-paced world, we are constantly looking for short cuts and convenient options. We actually prefer communicating with others through social networks, chat messengers and text messages. Technology has been weaved into our lives in a way that it has become a part of us now. Most of us cannot survive a day without our cell phones and laptops. We are so reliant on cell phones and social networking websites that we are truly forgetting the value of talking to someone face-to-face. We are slowly forgetting the essence of communicating with family and friends on a more intimate level.

With the vast amount of communication mediums, we are slowly becoming dependent on these “machines”. We no longer find the need to go visit our relatives and friends. The internet and cell phones do that for us now. We think a simple text message will suffice. Sadly, it’s not only today’s generation that has become this way. Unfortunately, it seems that people of all ages have chosen to go with convenience over emotional/one-on-one interaction.
WRITTEN BY:
Narmeen Tariq A SZABIST graduate who studied Media Sciences. The author is working as a sub-editor for T2 Extra, the Sunday pages of The Express Tribune.
The views expressed by the writer and the reader comments do not necassarily reflect the views and policies of the Express Tribune.

COMMENTS (7)

XYZ | 13 years ago | Reply Nice blogs. Your next one should be about your convocation. You looked stunning as always :)
aadi | 13 years ago | Reply According to me, "The real problem is not whether machines think but whether men do". therefore,The machine does not isolate man from the great problems of nature but plunges him more deeply into them. if, we see or observe the philosophical aspect of the above discussion, i would 100% agree with the writer that there has been created some communication deficits due to these kind of technological inventions but on the other hand these technologies can not vanish our cultural traditions like face to face communications and other important points which is mentioned in the above article. But, according to my notion there are more severe problems in our society which has to be discussed at this platform like rekodik treasure which nature has gifted us.
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