Hello and welcome to Digital Dependence! A blog dedicated to examining the influence of our ever-evolving relationship with new technologies.

Why am I starting this blog?

As a communication specialist, I’m more aware than ever that human beings, you and me, at least in the Western world, are cyborgs.  That’s right, cyborgs—incapable of existing without the prosthetic extension of cell phones, computers, and the all important internet or 3G network.

I see first hand the stroke inducing panic of a lost cell phone or poor wireless connection.  I see people actually risking their lives to send meaningless texts while driving.  I see psych wards filled with more people than my gmail inbox.   But is this the foundation of my grievance?

No, it is not.  I also see the benefits of technology: the development of healthcare, the access to far away places, the interconnectivity, and the potential to help others.

Rather, my concern is for the mind—for the social fabric of our lives.  We have accepted, and in many ways become unquestioningly obedient to the technologies given to us—to the point that internet and cell phone addiction have become medically diagnosable.  We adore their advantages while being deliberately blind to their disadvantages.

So, all I’m asking, as a cell phone user, as a gamer, and for Christ’s sake as a blogger, is that we just consider the impact they have on our individual lives and on society.  That way, we can learn to manipulate these technologies for our gain, rather than having them manipulate us.

~ by digitaldependence on April 16, 2010.