One student shares what it was like to live for one day without touching the everyday technologies we take for granted
By Christina Hinkle
Imagine a world where more text messages were sent in a single day then there were people on the planet and where the average person spent over an hour driving in a car each day. Imagine a world so reliant on technology, that more than 34 million people worldwide were hooked up to a social networking website to stay in contact with friends from around the globe (did you know? website). If you’re not having trouble imagining a world like this, it’s because that is the world we live in today.
Over the last decade, the use of technology in our everyday lives has changed drastically. It is scary to think that 20 years ago, college students all over the country relied on telephones to communicate with one another, because the Internet had not yet been created. There were no cell phones to keep in touch with friends, and the idea of text messaging had never been considered.
Certain means of technology that seem necessary to us today were things that people twenty years ago did not have as an option.
To really understand what it was like to live in a world where technology was not readily available at the push of a button, I decided to go an entire day without a cell phone, a computer, television, or the use of my car.
It was such a natural reaction to reach for my phone in class to send a text message or to call my friends after class to meet up. I felt completely lost and out of the loop when I couldn’t use my cell phone, and I can’t imagine living in a world where that technology did not exist.
However, college students 20 years ago never had the option to do any of those things. I suggest trying to go a day without using any form of technology- it will give you a newfound appreciation for the world we live in today.
It is amazing how much we take for granted when it comes to technology.
Junior Amanda Gushard-Edwards said, “I can’t imagine living without my cell phone for even a day, it’s a huge part of my life and I would be lost without it.”
Junior Katherine Stinchcomb said, “On average, I probably send about 40 text messages a day. Texting has taken communication to a whole new level and I would not be able to survive without it.”
It is truly amazing how dependent the average college student has become on technology, without ever realizing it. Every time you pick up the keys to your car, your cell phone, or the remote to your television, try to imagine not having the ability to do that.
Although it seems like this technology has been available forever, imagine that your parents and probably even older siblings did not have access to any of the technology we have today.