From reading to sports: how technology has changed our lives

If you are older than 30, you have experienced a wash of technology that has no comparison in the history of humanity. The New Milleniums have no concept of what life was like without ‘the net’ or cell phones and most are connected with social media to the point where they are in contact with their bff’s at all times. While the Baby Boomers are now the largest group adopting smart phones, there is still a bit of a disconnect when it comes to the many other areas of technology. It depends upon the expert (and the age of the expert) that you talk to regarding the pro’s and con’s of our fast pace race with high tech.

There are some of us that were the far-thinkers of times gone by and have been waiting for this day to arrive. The internet was the catalyst and proving ground for what the world population needed. Cell phone usage began the march and it was the Japanese that instituted the most advances in this area. While the U.S. had big clunky phones, the Japanese had sleek, small units with keyboards. Texting was the main rage as far back as the early 90’s and custom applications being designed as quickly as the manufacturers could write and run them through R&D. Music and video downloads went through their own evolution of technology, until an agreed upon (and legal) group of methodologies could be found that offered what the public wanted combined with company profitability.

Higher resolution screen productions began giving the general public a way to view everything from their own home. This raised a red flag in the stadium venues as they perceived that attendance would drop. Bigger and better LED screen resolution electronic scoreboards were installed that could display more than just a score…they could offer animations and replays in better quality than ever before. Concerts and sports events began to see an increase in the fan base.

Hand held electronic readers burst onto the scene, giving everyone the chance to carry around as many books as they wanted in a single device. Social media, however, was the real boom. The demand to be ‘connected’ produced the smart phone and an unlimited amount of apps to feed the insatiable public. The ‘i’ series from Apple brought easier to carry and use phones, pads and pods, so that everyone could connect without cumbersome devices.

At the moment of this writing, other manufacturers are joining the high tech race: Ford is installing a health application in their vehicles. Restaurants are online so that you can locate your food-of-the-moment and find out the waiting time. Scan able coupons are on your phone so that you just have to take it to the register. You can even preview all of the discounts available at your favorite store, check out their social media page and do your shopping via your Smartphone. Buy your airline ticket and get your boarding pass – all on your phone.

While these are all of the incredible things we can do today. There are a few pleasures that may seem to be going to the wayside. Personal one-on-one time may be one of them. The simple enjoyment of playing a family board game together; a stroll and browse through the local library or bookstore. Meeting up with friends for a simple afternoon lunch and catching up session. In essence, we are removing the human touch. A generation is growing up with less personal interaction with each other, and only time will tell of the effect it will have. There are still sports events and concerts that spur people to participate with each other. However, even these venues have high requirements by the public for an overwhelming electronic experience. We are redefining our expectations in our hunger for technology.