I Think Technology Has Made Me Dumberer - Goldfish in a Bowl

I have no memory. Well, I mean, I do remember things, but not very well. I could put the blame on myself, the binge drinking on the weekends, or lack of easy to practice memory exercises, but no, I chose technology as my scapegoat.

That’s right, I’m blaming one of my true loves for my inability to retain….anything.

But it’s not just me, it’s everyone! Technology has wrought upon us a great plague. A plague of idiocracy, of shame, of crazy weird phobias that teeter the line between pathetic and hilarious (re: Nomophobia - n. Short for no-mobile phobia, it's the anxiety produced by losing cell phone contact, for lack of coverage or power. A recent survey in the UK estimates that half of its citizens are afflicted. The condition is said to be as stressful as a root canal.) Is this what the world is coming to? Is that what I am destined to become? A person who not only fears technology but also craves it to survive? What a conundrum.

Facebook and other social networks help you maintain the façade that you’re still in touch with your old roommate from the Frat house and that we *might* give a damn, but we all use it incessantly and obsessively. Text messages make every interaction a little less sociable, yet we can all hack a message out in less than 30 seconds to that hottie at the bar from Friday night. Evite and other email invitations take the fun and formality out of sending party announcements, but do we really want to handwrite all those names? Would it be so bad if we took a step back from the computer, from the smart phone, and actually picked up a pen, used a telephone to make an actual call, reached out to a friend in person? Maybe. But maybe I don’t want to really talk to that guy from Art History 325 and am fine with just seeing his updates on the FriendFeed. Maybe texting expedites the time to get in touch with someone who might be in a meeting, or in a library (a what now?). But do these technological advances help or hinder humanity, and more importantly, my memory?

I’m still torn on if technology is the greatest evil in the world or a blessing from above. Its one of those “chicken or the egg” situations; Do I not remember what I was doing two Saturdays ago because I know someone will post pictures to remind me, or…..you know what, I completely lost what I was going for there. SEE what I mean? I can’t remember what I am even blogging about! Here I am trying to write about memory and technology, and I can’t remember the point I was gonna make. This is pretty pathetic. I guess I really am just another goldfish in the bowl of life.

And for the record, I think I might suffer from a slight case of Nomophobia. I should probably go see a therapist about that.

Comments

[chad]

I agree with you wholeheartedly! We don't have to remember anything anymore because the information is at our fingertips. We can search for whatever we want, and if we forget how to search for stuff, we can search on how to search. Voila, now we can relax, oblivious to the atrophy that is occoring in our frontal lobes :) You Rock!

[DG]

Here's a pretty interesting article about the conundrum:

http://www.newsweek.com/id/138536

My biggest issue with technology is that it often eliminates personal responsibility. Running late? Just call on your cell. Forgot to make reservations for dinner? Use your iPhone on the fly. It's a real convenience, but I think it also causes me to be much more of a flake.