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Are Americans Addicted to Technology?
jomammy writes "According to a recent Wired article, the majority of Americans are becoming increasingly dependant on their gadgets. High speed internet seems to be the one most determined to be a 'necessity'. A third of the country is said to pay more than $200.00 a month for their addiction, where 4 out of 10 pay between $100.00 and $150.00 a month. Other items in this list of 'gadgets' include, mp3 players, dvd players, laptops, handhelds, etc." How addicted are we? How addicted are you?
And this is NOTHING to be concerned about. Technology is defined as: " 1. The application of science, especially to industrial or commercial objectives. 2. The scientific method and material used to achieve a commercial or industrial objective. " Ok - FIRE is a technology. So are things as simple as forks, or spoons, or plates. The human race is addicted to technology, for better or for worse. America's only addicted to the most recent advancements more than the rest of the world. There is nothing wrong with this "Addiction" - They say it like it's a bad thing. Without technology, we'd still be running around like apes.
http://www.TheGamerNation.com/Forums
...but is it, really? Yes, we're dependent on our technology, but calling it an "addiction" is merely one perspective. Instead, couldn't we just as easily call it symbiosis? It could be that we're taking the first steps towards becoming cyborgs, or something.
"[Regarding the 'cloud,'] ownership was what made America different than Russia." -- Woz
Compared to the insanely cool, science-fiction advanced consumer tech, everything from cell phones to high-speed internet available in Europe, Japan and South Korea, the US is dowdy and backwards. Cingular ain't got squat on DoMoCo, and even a Mielle washer/dryer set is lightyears ahead of the stone-age clunkers Kenmore and Maytag inflict on the American household.
When it comes to technology obsession, the High Street in London and the Akihabara in Tokyo are where it's at.
SoupIsGood Food
i have friend whose dad is a tech junkie. All kinds of gadgets high-speed, workstation laptops etc. One day his son (my friend) got fed with it all, and moed to middle of Mojave desert, where he get no electricity, and certainly no television signal. And he has to drive 5 miles just to get to the closest payfone.
But his daughter, who has doesn't even know what a television is, is very wise for her age (i.e. 7 yrs). Here, I make a distinction between knowledge and wisdom. She may not have all the knowledge, but she is certainly wiser then other kids of her age or even some grown ups.
Would you do something like this? Would you make such a daring move for you children's sake?
Consensus is good, but informed dictatorship is better
On one hand, yes I'm addicted -- I can barely go a day without at least briefly connecting to the internet, and I don't even want to know how many hours I've logged playing my little gnome mage on World of Warcraft.
However, for many of us, the dependence is more than just a regular old physical/psychological addiction. My marks at school, for example, depend on my being able to get on a computer and access the internet on a regular basis. Many assignments are made available solely through a class website or WebCT, and in two of my classes this past term, every single assignment had to be handed in via the Unix handin command (or the web-based Windows equivalent). Admittedly, I am a computer science student, but there aren't all that many courses in which computers or other forms of technology are completely absent -- even arts students are expected to write essays, and few professors will accept handwritten submissions these days.
How about that whole 'it costs $200 per month to pay for this addiction' crap.
Just buying 1 laptop could account for an entire year. Is buying 1 laptop an addiction nowadays?
Guys it is a slow newsday. This reporter needed his christmas bonus so he put in a small non-article with a nice headline that while at the same time being properly alarmist is also nice and safe not to ruin the giftmas feeling.
It also got iPod in it wich is always good.
Bleh.
MMO Quests are like orgasms:
You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.
Making it more productive makes it sound as if the only purpose to being alive is work and produce a product.
That's seems to be the pervading theme in our (US) culture. I work for a multi-national, and I can say that my contemporaries in Europe and SA don't have the same attitude. I'm not saying they do bad work or don't work hard. It's simply they seem to view work as a means to an end, where the US seems to view work as that end.
"This calls for a very special blend of psychology and extreme violence" - Vyvyan "The Young Ones"
My vetenarian was complaining today that she used to have a system which used Ricochet, a dumb terminal in her truck, and a Xenix server in her office to access horse medical records remotely. This provided a 38Kb/s connection. Since Ricochet went out of business, that's no longer possible. Data over cellular is less available, slower, harder to set up, and more expensive. Yes, you can set up a VPN, and "web enable" the server, but it's more trouble than it is worth.
I went to Niger this summer, where I was even out of range of the nearest cell tower, had no electricity, and was surrounded by goats and chickens. I spent two weeks without most of the technology I'm used to, and that's a lot of technology.
You know what? I didn't mind one bit. No withdrawl symptoms. Strand me in a city in the US though, and I'd start to feel the pain. It seems like it's partly a function of the environment.
Error 404 - Sig Not Found
I'd have to say that "addiction" is a badly overused term these days. Anytime someone has a bad habit, they'll call it an addiction, as if doing so removes any responsibility for changing their behavior.
-jcr
The only title of honor that a tyrant can grant is "Enemy of the State."
I didn't only mean work, I simply meant "Yielding favorable or useful results; constructive."
As yes. Results. Like in the private sector. If Jack is only playing so that he can work better then he isn't really playing is he?
Forest tribes are addicted to technology just like americans. They cannot live without bows, arrows, and fire tools.
There you are, staring at me again.
You really forgot Japan this time! American's suck at technology in most cases. Half og you don't know how to program your VCR. The other half never knew anything about SMS either. The people who are really 'into' technology knowledge are the Finnish/Swedes/Dutch. The people who have successfully ingrained technology into their lifestyle are the Japanese.
Get your head outta your ass, there is more to the world than the US and by no means are you the ideal standard.
Where's my free iPod!? Until then, I'll settle for a kiss...
The whole world has been addicted to technology as soon as agriculture was invented and the human population exceeded the number that could be sustained by hunting and gathering alone.
...but is it art?
is often considered as a typical sign of it.
According to wikipedia , addiction is a compulsion to repeat a behavior regardless of its consequences.
I know a bunch of people who are trully addicted to e-mail. They feel the need to check it during the whole day. They 'll use it as their sole way to communicate with other people. They 'll even send mails to the guy/girl sitting next to him/her rather than talk to them.
And as a result they loose their ability to normaly communicate and socially interract with people. They'll feel lost and cut off from the world when they don't have access to their email. I would say this is typical compulsary behavior regardless of its consequences. However while many people start
falling in that catagory, few are going to admit it.
red.
Only dweebs that think only in terms of "consumer electronics" and some model of sin if we aren't using manual typewriters would miss the fact that internet, cell phones, home computers, etc. help us do what we do a lot more productively and with a lot more information and convenience. The face of media is changing as increasingly all of us browse and share information and opinions. The entire face of business has changed. Large sections of how we socialize and with whom have changed to include a much larger circle. Are we "addicted" to more abundant and productive living? You bet! And as long as there is an ounce of gumption and worth in us we will continue to be. It is a good thing.