The rise of computer technology has occurred within just a couple
of decades, changing our entire lifestyles with it. Everything has changed so
rapidly that we are still trying to catch up. From nostalgia of old
experiences, to E-waste, our experiences today now include a reflective
response to this sudden boom, but only if we take the time to observe it.
Our conversation about E-waste during lab resonated strongly
with me. I had never heard the term before, but the more I thought about it,
the more I recognized that E-Waste seems like the epitome of human exploitation
of the Earth. We use our magnificent human minds to create this amazing
technology that allows us to achieve feats inconceivable just a few decades
ago. We can have conversations without needing to visit one another, have
things delivered to us the day after we pushed the “Add to Cart” button, and
hold thousands of songs, pictures, and videos in our palms at one time. This
technology is power that WE created …and then we throw it away because “ooohh
that one has a bigger screen! I want it.”
Now, not all of us are this impulsive with technology. However,
this impulse represents the new concept of the “Digital Divide” where hard work
won’t get you as far as that person who works just as hard and owns the latest technology to boost them just a bit further. Whether
your old device breaks and you panic because you can’t check your email while
walking your dog, or you “just want it,” the Digital Divide introduces a new pressure
of our everyday lives.
As far as E-waste goes, the article below offers an
interesting, and comforting take on what to do about E-waste. However, one of
the most important sayings in environmental health awareness is “Reduce, Reuse,
Recycle,” so even though we have developed a certified strategy to combat our
e-waste, we still need to work on the other pillars of caring for the
environment in terms of our electronics.
http://www.nrdc.org/living/stuff/what-do-about-e-waste.asp
Another topic that we talked about in lab was obsolete
technology. We mentioned many “tools”
that we once used like fax machines, CD-roms (which spell check does not even
recognize actually), Floppy disks, Gameboys, landlines, TV antennas, even
typewriters that now just seem bulky, non-portable, and nonfunctional with our
fast-paced lifestyles of today. The more I think about it, the more I see how
rapid we have been experiencing this transition through technological advances.
A 9 year old experiences life much differently that 9-year old me did 11 years
ago. This article talks about the experiences
we no longer have as a result of obsolete technology:
It’s true- I will probably never get to go on a blind date
now that Facebook, google, twitter, Instagram, and any other social network exist.
I don’t even have to belong to a social network to find information on myself
via the internet. Facebook and google have become “givens”- it would be weird not to facebook stalk your blind date. These
once-revolutionary innovations are already, and will eventually become
invisible technology, only to make way for new advancements. How much further
can we go?
Our entire life experiences are changing extremely rapidly in
order to keep time with technology. So rapidly however, that we do not have
time to look back even five years to what was once important. For instance, before
I even knew it existed, E-waste became a problem and has been solved. I didn’t even realize what experiences I was
missing the past 10 years until a simple article showed me.
In conclusion, technology is great, and the advancements have
taken us unimaginable distances. However, it is important to be attuned to the
issues we have caused for ourselves through our creations, and be able to face
the new form of human experience we have today. Part of the human experience is
conscientiousness, and it’s important for us to stop and take a look at the
advances we have made in tandem with the Earth itself in order to truly
appreciate all that we have.
LOVE your point about blind dates.
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