2008 Woodie Awards
RSSRegressive advancement
Edit Desk
By Clark Lampen
Issue date: 10/19/07 Section: Opinion
A few days ago while skimming the Wall Street Journal in between classes, I was reminded how the vast majority of the Fortune 500 companies in America have focused large portions of their resources on technological advancement.
Without a doubt, it's astounding to consider what's been accomplished in only the last two decades and what the future might hold. But if we take a moment to really consider how these advancements have affected us and those around us, it's hard not to wonder whether we're really as well off as we think we are.
Behind stock symbols, charts and quotes there are companies whose goal, in some form, is maximization. Whether the goal is to maximizing time, money, efficiency, etc., the general idea is that their gadgets can improve our quality of life by making average, menial tasks much less tedious.
Theoretically, we'll gain time we might have otherwise lost.
How we choose to spend our day, whether we're working professionals or college students, the use of these devices should bring us closer to downtime quicker than ever before.
Although we can assume most companies have our best interests in mind when designing devices that are supposed to make life more convenient, the opposite frequently occurs.
Instead of slowing down, we're only increasing our already frantic pace.
Cell phones and the Internet have decreased privacy and down time to the point that we're accessible at almost any hour of the day. Whether or not we decide to turn our phones or computers off, we'll be greeted with a voice mail or messages in our e-mail inboxes in the morning.
Two weeks ago I had dinner with my grandfather and over the course of the evening, he talked about the vast advances in technology he's witnessed over the last 80 years of his life: the Internet, cell phones, satellite television service and laptop computers. Despite the perceived utility of some of these things, my grandfather has never used the Internet, does not own a computer and refuses to carry a cell phone.
While at first I couldn't understand why he's resisted even the slightest acceptance of such devices, I realized why he was so adamant when he asked me how often my mother would receive work-related calls at home when she didn't have a BlackBerry. I feel it's safe to assume that the majority of the Lehigh community, students and faculty alike, write far more e-mails on a daily basis than they ever did letters. While writing this article, I found multiple support groups in New York City for individuals addicted to using their BlackBerry, as well as others for those that develop carpal tunnel from excessive typing, simply by searching Google or Craig's List.
We need to recognize that the growth that has occurred since most of us have been born will only continue, and in some cases may prove to be extremely beneficial (the green movement within the automobile industry, for example). But we need to know where to draw the line.
Over the past year, like many of my fellow Lehigh students, the job market has brought me to a position requiring ever increasing use and adoption of technological devices.
While I understand why so many people choose to take advantage of technology, it's also important to recognize that current trends can only be sustained for so much time.
Devices such as a BlackBerry represent a catch-22 in advancement, as our freedom is both increasing and decreasing simultaneously. For example, now a "get-away" to Europe might be invaded by their world phone's connection overseas, allowing continuation of the stream of calls and data.
Given the onset of world-phone technology, the number of places in the world one can really go to escape entirely from the excitement of a working environment is slowly decreasing.
Now only one question remains: What next "innovation" will end up hurting us even more?
Clark Lampen is a junior journalism and finance major. He is a photo technician for The Brown and White.
Without a doubt, it's astounding to consider what's been accomplished in only the last two decades and what the future might hold. But if we take a moment to really consider how these advancements have affected us and those around us, it's hard not to wonder whether we're really as well off as we think we are.
Behind stock symbols, charts and quotes there are companies whose goal, in some form, is maximization. Whether the goal is to maximizing time, money, efficiency, etc., the general idea is that their gadgets can improve our quality of life by making average, menial tasks much less tedious.
Theoretically, we'll gain time we might have otherwise lost.
How we choose to spend our day, whether we're working professionals or college students, the use of these devices should bring us closer to downtime quicker than ever before.
Although we can assume most companies have our best interests in mind when designing devices that are supposed to make life more convenient, the opposite frequently occurs.
Instead of slowing down, we're only increasing our already frantic pace.
Cell phones and the Internet have decreased privacy and down time to the point that we're accessible at almost any hour of the day. Whether or not we decide to turn our phones or computers off, we'll be greeted with a voice mail or messages in our e-mail inboxes in the morning.
Two weeks ago I had dinner with my grandfather and over the course of the evening, he talked about the vast advances in technology he's witnessed over the last 80 years of his life: the Internet, cell phones, satellite television service and laptop computers. Despite the perceived utility of some of these things, my grandfather has never used the Internet, does not own a computer and refuses to carry a cell phone.
While at first I couldn't understand why he's resisted even the slightest acceptance of such devices, I realized why he was so adamant when he asked me how often my mother would receive work-related calls at home when she didn't have a BlackBerry. I feel it's safe to assume that the majority of the Lehigh community, students and faculty alike, write far more e-mails on a daily basis than they ever did letters. While writing this article, I found multiple support groups in New York City for individuals addicted to using their BlackBerry, as well as others for those that develop carpal tunnel from excessive typing, simply by searching Google or Craig's List.
We need to recognize that the growth that has occurred since most of us have been born will only continue, and in some cases may prove to be extremely beneficial (the green movement within the automobile industry, for example). But we need to know where to draw the line.
Over the past year, like many of my fellow Lehigh students, the job market has brought me to a position requiring ever increasing use and adoption of technological devices.
While I understand why so many people choose to take advantage of technology, it's also important to recognize that current trends can only be sustained for so much time.
Devices such as a BlackBerry represent a catch-22 in advancement, as our freedom is both increasing and decreasing simultaneously. For example, now a "get-away" to Europe might be invaded by their world phone's connection overseas, allowing continuation of the stream of calls and data.
Given the onset of world-phone technology, the number of places in the world one can really go to escape entirely from the excitement of a working environment is slowly decreasing.
Now only one question remains: What next "innovation" will end up hurting us even more?
Clark Lampen is a junior journalism and finance major. He is a photo technician for The Brown and White.
