nothing earth shaking this week- i am on the mend from what has been arguably the worst head cold ever. been thinking a bit about technology- as i have had a mixed bag of experiences with it. i have always marveled at the power of the internet to connect people. many of us progressive bloggers used it effectively to agitate for change in the '06 and '08 elections and there are still activists out there fighting for global human rights for all. the blogs opened up a whole new way to communicate with people in your own neck of the woods- and meet folks from around the globe. exciting to say the least. i have met so many cool people from a variety of nations and many fine americans who have worked for change.
there is no doubt that the blogs have morphed into the social site juggernauts- facebook and myspace. i marvel at the fact that i can find folks i haven't spoken to in years and talk to them in real time via chat or simply give them a 'poke' to let them know i am around. i joined facebook to help promote my online etsy site in order to sell my craft items and in the space of a week, i have connected to folks from my high school years; my college years and beyond... as well as many of my blog buddies. i am still wrapping my mind around that. modern technology has plugged us in and connected us in ways that used to be simply local.
on the other hand, modern conveniences aren't always convenient. while i am chatting with my buddies on facebook, there are folks there mining for information- from homeland security to cyberthieves. computerization has also taken the ease of gathering certain kinds of information away- not all of the world is technosavvy and not every demographic can navigate pressing 800 buttons on a phone in order to get basic information about accounts, etc.. i really cannot imagine my mom attempting to contact social security or the bank- you get routed around to a call center where you have to repeat everthing you just pressed buttons for. it also makes life easier for professional hackers....
so, it's with trepidation that i embrace technology. will it make us more or less human? who knows? but it's here to stay and evolve.
