So last week my parents gave me an MP3 player for my birthday. I know, I should have been thrilled, but instead I found myself thinking, “Oh great, now I have to figure out how to use this devise.” And what a challenge it was! I spent about three hours trying to figure out how to turn on the MP3 player and connect its software to my computer. Also the MP3 player didn’t come with a packet of directions. I mean I know it’s the twenty first century, but am I suppose to be born knowing how to upload an MP3 player?
So, after finally uploading the software into my computer, I had to figure out how to actually put songs from my computer into the MP3 player, which took an additional couple of hours. So after countless hours and frustration I now have a MP3 player with all of my music on it. But, I find my self asking the question, “Was all that time and effort really worth it?” It’s great to have my songs in one compact location, but the quality of listening on the MP3 player is no better than the quality of my CD player.
All this leads me to believe is that we (people in general) are wasting our time trying to get the newest gadgets. They are not worth the time or the money that the entertainment companies lead us to believe. So I guess my question is: How much better does technology have to get before we are completely satisfied with what we have?
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Melissa, I am sorry you had a hard time getting your MP3 player set up. Also, don't feel bad. I too am 'technologically slow'.
ReplyDeleteTo answer your question,( How much better does technology have to get before we are completely satisfied with what we have?) I think it depends on what 'type' of person we are talking about. Young. Old. Male. Female. Healthy. Unhealthy. Do you see what I mean?
For example, imagine an older person being born in the early 1900s and watching the original "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" in 1937 with poor picture quality, then seventy years later watching the same movie in the Disney Diamond Edition DVD. They are probably thinking "Wow, that looked great!" If a little kid or teenager saw "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" in the new DVD, they wouldn't think much of it, right? They might want more.
The point I am trying to make is that with every new generation, new desires and expectations are formed. To be completely honest, Melissa, I don't think we will ever be completely satisfied with technology. That is just my opinion, though.
Better and better technology will never be enough for everyone. We as a human race will probably never be satisfied. It definitely depends on the type of person you are and if you are going to allow yourself to become totally consumed in technology. understandably we as a human race will have not been where we are without technology. slowly but surly I believe technology will somewhat enslave us to it. Its happening now. thousands of people are slaves to there cell phones, computers and PDA's. And when something bigger and better comes out these slaves are going to feel that they have to have it and these bigger and better electronics will convert more people to become slaves to them. Make them think they can't bare to live without this certain THING.
ReplyDeleteGive it some time, baby. You will love it soon. All new technologies have a break-in period. We live in 2010, and MP3 is now part of the deal.
ReplyDeleteLoving (liking) your MP3 player doesn't mean you've given your soul away or anything. It's OK to like technology. Wake up to it. See it for what it is. Continue to ask "for everything this new thing gives me, what does it take away from me?" because as Postman points out, there is a trade off.
I grew up in the 1970s, the era of the who's quadrophenia and tommy, and yes (the band), and all these gigantic concept albums that had a narrative arc, created to be appreciated and consumed WHOLE. Every album had a personality...one song followed another in a certain, predictable sequence. I had an album that had a scratch in a certain spot, listened to that album throughout my teen years and 20s, and it always skipped in this one specific place. Later, in my 30s, when I got the same music on a CD, of course the skip was gone, and it sounded weird to me.
What have I lost by converting to MP3? I don't listen to music like that very much any more. I skip around ALOT. I listen to playlists, or to random sequences. I have so much music where it's just one or two songs from a particular artist -- that's different, but not necessarily bad. But I definitely notice that difference when I'm scrolling through my device trying to decide what I'm in the mood for. I might think, OH! Yes, I'd like to hear that! And it's just ONE song from that artist, when I used to have the whole album.
Whoops. Rambled a little there. You've invested your time into your MP3 getting it all set up. Your learning curve is over. Now you just get to play with it and enjoy it.
"What have I lost by converting to MP3? I don't listen to music like that very much any more. I skip around ALOT. I listen to playlists, or to random sequences. I have so much music where it's just one or two songs from a particular artist -- that's different, but not necessarily bad. But I definitely notice that difference when I'm scrolling through my device trying to decide what I'm in the mood for. I might think, OH! Yes, I'd like to hear that! And it's just ONE song from that artist, when I used to have the whole album."
ReplyDeleteI remember you mentioned this to me once. And you said it's due to our shortening attention span. And how we can't listen to a whole album because we end up skipping around.
Oui.
ReplyDeleteHow can we as the human race ever be satisfied with technology, as it may as well be considered part of our culture? Of our history?
ReplyDeleteIf we ever grew tired of technology, that would be something to put in the history books.To answer your question, i'd like to point out that there is always someone, somewhere, coming up with a new or improved invention, for that is how humans think. Their goal is to improve; something can always be tweaked so that it is more beneficial and useful. So to be satisfied with the current technology is like asking a human's way of thinking to be totally rearranged.
Satisfaction is similar to a dream or goal in that it is something a human hopes to achieve but might be out of their reach. Humans want to create perfection, whether for their own gain or not, it's seen throughout history.
So, possibly never will a human's capability exceed his or her imagination, as this is not a normal way of thinking for it does not invlove the concept of hope. Technology will never stop evolving.
People do not care that they're wasting their money on cheap gadgets, because these gadgets 'control' their lives. A cell phone was not an accompanyment to our genetic code at the beginning of our time, yet it is necessary that we use it in this day and age. Why? Because when humans get together, they form a culture. This culture is a way of life; seen as the only way to live. Our technologically advanced culture is based off of these gadgets, they help us 'see' our world, and offer us solutions for how we should care for it and learn from it.
But it is not technology alone. The 'evolution of technology' also comes in the package, and makes the technological part of our culture a whole. This means we do not question the use or meaning of a gadget, and we expect it to evolve into something greater; eventually.
As we get more and more advanced in our technology there will come a point where we will have to stop and think about how much we have and how much we really need. I don't think that humans will ever be satisfied with the kind of technology that they have at their disposal but we will eventually see that there can be such a thing as 'To much Tech'. There might be a point in Technology in which we cannot go farther, but until we find this point, we will always thrive to exceed the previous standards of technology.
ReplyDeleteI dont think we'll ever be satisfied. Take a look at the evolution of the cellphone. Remember when the cellphone was invented and it was really huge and bulky and everyone wanted one. (That was before we were born) Then they made it smaller, and eventually they came out with flip phones and camera phones and everyone was so amazed. Some time after that they had the razr (that really slim phone) and people went wild. Skip ahead to now with smart phones. You don’t see people walking around with any of those old phones anymore. That goes for everything: calculators, computers, telephones, cars, refrigerators, washers and dryers. Anyway...my point is that we will probably never be satisfied with whatever comes out, no matter how advanced it is. There will always be some flaw that will end up being improved in the invention of the next gadget.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Melissa because I to think we r wasting our time with all the new gadgets that are coming out.
ReplyDeleteFor example, the ipad is just like a bigger form of the ipod touch. So why is almost everyone i know going out and buying it though?
Especially like one of my friends on my club swim team, he just bragged about going and getting an ipad the other night at swim practice when he already has an ipod touch!
What is the point??? It's like having two of the same cell phones...except one is a couple months newer than the other one and just looks a little different, does that really mean you have go out and buy the new one just because it looks different? Looks cooler?
Why should looks matter when it comes to electronics?
I used to have an ipod touch until it was stolen at school the day before the last day of school.
Yes, i would really like another very soon..I do miss it...But I've learned to live without it for awhile and it hasn't done me any harm. It's actually better because then I'm not distracted at swim meets or practices and at home I'm not layin on the couch the whole day listening to my ipod and being lazy.
Sorry...I sort of rambled on :]