the upside of technology…

From Peter Diamonds’ Tech Blog, 11/29/15:

This might be a controversial blog.

My Thanksgiving was one filled with texting, Snapchat, Skyping, Facetime, Beam robots and ringing phones.

Some people HATE the way technology impacts their family at gatherings – people on digital devices rather than having conversations – ‘making us more alone, even when we’re together.’ But is that really true?

This blog is about perspective on the impact of digital devices, and the bigger picture on what’s going on: an accelerating trend where our connection with people is independent of our physical location.

We’ve ALWAYS said that new technology isolates us

Source: xkcd.com/1601

“Back in my day, we didn’t have all these distractions”
– Millions of disgruntled grandparents around the world.

“Yeah, in your day, life was pretty boring and disconnected.”
– Millions of millennials today.

We’ve always preferred to get what we want, when we want. Every new communication technology has moved us closer to “immediate,” “faster,” “cheaper,” “higher quality” and “instant” communications with whomever we want, whenever we want.

And that trend is accelerating.

The fact is we tend to romanticize the past. And we like to complain about the present. And we are resistant to change. Check out the two photos below that clearly tell that story.

The Upside of Technology

This Thanksgiving I was in constant contact with relatives scattered around the world: one niece in London by Facetime, another niece in Hungary by BEAM robot, and friends around the world by Skype, Facetime and Beam.

100 Years Ago… holiday contact with distant relatives either didn’t happen, happened through infrequent snail mail, or rarely through a long trek by horse and buggy. Ultimately you were stuck with (more…)