Technology vs. ???

In my Instructional Technology Foundations class today an interesting question was posed. A leading educator in the IT field has stated that technology is really not that important. It is only made to seem important by companies who spend millions of dollars advertising the "need" for their products in order to convince the public that they cannot live unless they have the newest technology.

So the question is this...Is technology really that important to our existence? Could we really function without the newest innovation or invention? I can't help but think of two recent experiences that makes me think, that at least for me, I do need to have perhaps not the cutting edge technology, but at least up-to-date technology. The first is my decision to finally give in to the cell phone craze. I remember thinking..."I will NOT get a cell phone. I don't want to be ruled by it." I remember one of my roommates who would turn around after driving 10 minutes from our apartment just to get her phone that she had left behind. The reasoning? What if someone called her when she was out doing errands? I always thought..."Well, that's why there's voice messaging. Geesh!"

Then there was the experience with getting high speed internet. Why do I need to be able to download things in an instant for $50 more a month? Certainly that luxury was more of a want than a need.

BUT....

In regards to the cell phone...my boss needed to be able to contact me at any moment (usually a few minutes after leaving my desk to run an errand) and so the solution?...giving in and getting a cell phone. I remember many of my friends' and family's jubilation at their ability to actually get ahold of me. I was often dubbed "dead" because it was so difficult to contact me because I was never home. Now, I am the one who returns to my apartment to retrieve a forgotten cell phone. How often do I check it during the day for a missed call or text?...I'm not sure I want to divulge that information...but let me just say I was right...I'm ruled by it, addicted, wouldn't want to live without it, etc.

In regards to the high speed internet...I think I was totally sucked into that one as well because of work. At work I had extremely fast internet connection, which I tapped into many times a day. When I would get home and try to access something a friend had sent, I would wait as my dial-up struggled...seconds and then minutes ticking away. I lost patience for most downloads, and thus prefered to miss out than wait. Now that I have high-speed internet there is no more waiting...and I love it. Yes, love not like it. So, like my cell phone I'm hooked.

Technology is always changing and although we may not jump on the band-wagon immediately, I think eventually we all have to jump on. Think of the evolution of music: records, A-track, cassette-tapes, cd's, MP3 players, IPods. Yes, I think there would be life without these things (they're not like water), but I do believe we all get sucked in at one point or another.