Computers and the Internet

Have you checked your Facebook or Twitter today? Did you pay your bills online? Did you make a stock transaction, read the news or applied for a job online? Did you send an email? Are you currently reading my blog? Answering yes means that you probably have a device that has the internet whether it is a computer or some mobile device. Also this means that this technology probably is part of your everyday life. Now imagine that all computers and the internet are taken away from you for a month or two. How would you react? 

In today’s society computing devices and the internet are a part life. A lot of people would go crazy without this for over a month and it is sad to say that I would probably be one of those people. We use it for personal, entertainment, and business reasons. My whole job (database administrator) and college degree (computer science) is based on this technology. Without it what would I be today, probably a writer or something… wait a minute. 

Anyway not only is this technology a part of my career it is also my personal life. I use my cell phone to text my wife to always talk with her since I travel a lot. I use Facebook to communicate with others and to let them know about my blog posts. I read and look up stuff for education or entertainment purposes. Computers and the internet are a great thing and makes life easier and more convenient. I do all my banking and pay almost all the bills online. I probably spend 80% of the day on the computer during a work week and that is the minimum. It is sad but it is true. Believe me I would love to go out to travel more and see things but don’t have the time. I am writing this now with this great and wonderful technology that I am sorta dependent on in my life. 

That is the problem though. The majority of the world is dependent on computers and the internet. If it was all taken away in a quick flash the world would go in chaos for a while. I am sure the world’s markets would crash. Communication would be close to a standstill and so on. Think that new series Revolution or Falling Skies or even Walking Dead.  We need it because we conduct so much business with it in our lives.  

The other side of that is as we come more dependent on it could eventually eliminate a lot of things we do in our life. It would be in a world where we never have to leave house and conduct our life from there. Everything could be delivered to us, we could work from home, and we could take special supplements to keep our bodies healthy. We could end just hooking up to a machine to experience life outside of the house similar to that movie Surrogates. Or the computers and the internet could become self-aware and become a life form of their own. Then they would probably take over the world like in The Terminator or Matrix movies.  

Now I know in the three examples above are extreme cases but it is true that most of the world is dependent on computers and the internet. Who knows this also may be a cause of the obesity problem in America right now because everyone wants to be on the computer. Also how it seems the social scene is getting more regulated to the internet and not the “traditional way.” People need to check their Facebook in case they missed something or need to talk to someone. TV shows will tell you to #that and #this just because now it is important to be trending. People need to check their Twitter to see what their favorite celebrity is talking about. People need to hurry and pay that bill online. Don’t forget to check on sports shows or download a movie while you are waiting at the airport. Also don’t forget to read this blog and comment on it because why not? 

I am not saying the technology is bad. I mean I love and I said I use it every day. I just feel that the world is too dependent on it and it seems like it is going to get even worse in the future. I guess that is true though with any invention and advancement in society that makes things easier because humankind seems to like to go the easy way and not the hard way. I do imagine a simpler life and wish the world could go in that direction but I know that will never happen. Now I have to go post this on my blog and let my friends know on Facebook and Twitter that I posted a new blog while texting my wife and listening music I downloaded from iTunes on my iPod while waiting for a database to restore at my work. 

What are your thoughts on computers and the internet in society? Do you think we as a people are now too dependent on it? Do you think one of the three scenarios I mentioned could happen? I think being taken out by Cyber Warfare will be the future of wars and markets will crash and countries overthrown. That is just my thought. Please leave a comment and let me know what you think.           

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