Well, I have been back from New York City for almost a week now, and really would not consider myself "here" yet. My boyfriend brought along his computer, so, I had no choice but to contribute to my Internet addiction along with him. Although I did not check my email everyday while I was in NYC, I did check it more frequently than I would have if I did not have a laptop so easily accessible.
I guess this is what frightens me about technology: not having it. What did I do when I did not have an iPod (I made mix tapes and CDs to put in my walkman). Everything is so much easier now; at the press of a button you can have your whole music collection shuffled. Personally, I get kind of overwhelmed by my iPod shuffling the entire contents of my collection. One second I am listening to "The Lark Ascending," by Ralph Vaughn Williams, the next, I am listening to "The Pyramid Song," by Radiohead. The good thing about it is that if you do not want to listen to a song you can easily surpass it. Another overwhelming factor with my iPod is that I am always searching for the "perfect" song for the moment. What happens, though, is that I have gone through 1500 songs, and I still have not found the "perfect" song. Maybe I am a spoiled millennial.
As technology has been at a constant flux since the 1990s, many services have proved to serve a more autonomous crowd. We no longer have to run to Sears or Macy’s for the perfect sweater; we have the capability of ordering it from an online catalog with the input of an address and credit card number.
In reading about the technological expectations of the millennial generation in Courtney’s Library 2.0 and Beyond, it almost seems like the writer is making them seem indolent and spoiled. (I am not quite considered a millennial; I was born in 1981). Perhaps, though, I am fearless when it comes to technology, although sometimes I would consider myself somewhat deficient.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Without Technology?! Blog Posting #2
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4 comments:
Imagining living without technology is probably the big difference between Millennials and the rest of the living generations. As an Xer, I can still remember live without a computer, and my parents are still having a hard time integrating technology into their lives. But I am pretty much at the point that I feel I can't live without technology, and I go through withdraw when I don't have access (like on vacation).
Sometimes I feel like I'm on the fence with new technology, should I take it or leave it? Even though I know I can live without it, I don't want to.
I completely know what you mean about the ipod shuffling songs. It's almost too overwhelming. Why do I have so much music on there and still can never find something to fit my mood? And I also agree that it is scary to think about becoming reliant on technology and then for some reason, not having it. Sometimes I wish I didn't have a cell phone and then I think about how hard life would be without it.
Being born in '79, I am not considered a Millenial and even though theirs only a few years seperating the Generation X'ers from them, I am so Gen X. I do not have the craze for technology at all. I could totally live without the internet and everything that goes with it. That is so awful to say, but true. My best friend had to make me a myspace account and everytime I want anything major changed on it she does it. I can completely see how people get reliant on technology, but other than my cell phone I could quit possibly forget it was ever there.
Glad you had a good time in NYC, Rachael. Technology really has changed our lives. It used to be a big deal to edit a document and distribute it for people's comments. When I was at ALA, I met with a couple of people after a meeting to write up our changes to a resolution. Before dinner I edited it in MS Word. After dinner at 10 p.m. I sent it off to a group of people and the next morning another committee voted to adopt our changes. All within the course of roughly twelve hours. Aargh! Way too fast!
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