Technology

Where does time go? I can't believe that yet another week has passed since my last entry in here....& I'm still trying to catch up with the ideas that came to me last month on holiday!

Walking around a supermarket, I spotted a printer machine for digital photos and I suddenly realised how technology has changed our experience of holiday photos. It used to be the case that you went away, you took photos and you had to wait until you got home & had them developed in order to see them. Digital cameras allow us to see our photos instantly. If we're not happy with them, we can delete them & take them again. We can bring them home, upload them onto our computers and manipulate them to improve them, or make them look as we want them to look. We can even go to the supermarket, whilst on holiday, print them & take them home with us! And that's all good stuff BUT....where's the excitement of the anticipation?

I remember taking films into shops, having to leave them for a few days before going back to collect them. I'd be impatient to see my photos, but at the same time, that anticipation was part of the experience. Would they have come out? How would they look? And that's all gone now with digital photos.

With the internet, we can even share our photos whilst we're still on holiday. Fantastic; in some respects. But again, what damage is that instantaneous communication doing to us? Holidays used to be a time of getting away from it all; that's no longer the case. Mobile phones and the internet allow our families and friends to be there with us. And maybe that's a good thing, BUT....where's the thrill of getting away from everyone gone? Where's the experience of missing people and looking forward to telling them about our holidays?

It seems that increasingly, that technology leads people to become less and less independent. Before mobile phones, we had to plan things ahead of time, we had to think for ourselves, we had to go for periods of time without contacting our loved ones. Now, we can contact them at any time of the day for help, advice, support, or just to check in with them. And again, that definitely has its advantages, but it also encourages dependence. It reduces people's capacity to take responsibility for themselves, to make decisions for themselves, to exist without their loved ones. It also removes again, the anticipation that builds up when you haven't spoken to someone for a period of time.

At times, I find my mobile intrusive and often have it switched to silent when I don't want to be disturbed. And of course, when I'm with clients, it's turned to silent too. I don't always want my time and space invaded or want to be troubled with other peoples' often trivial comments and questions. At other times though, it's lovely to receive a thoughtful message.

The internet encourages, at times, constant sharing of ourselves, and again I can see the advantages, BUT.....it also seems narcissistic at times to share stuff that other people aren't really interested in. I know I am guilty of this myself at times, on Facebook; what makes me so special that other people need to know what I'm up to? Do they care? It can help people who are lonely or isolated connect with other people, but how real is it? We can monitor what we say; choose what image of ourselves we wish to portray by the words and statements we use.

Overall, I think technological advances are a good thing, but I do worry about the psychological effects on us all......