Too Much Tech

When does tech become too much? Or more appropriately, when do you have to much tech in your life?

I often think about the future and what it holds. I’m constantly learning more and more about people- how to lead, how we react to different things, how we operate, how we communicate; verbally, non-verbally, etc-and while thinking and learning about those things I wonder which direction the kids of today are headed.

Recently, I saw a speech by Nicholas Negroponte on his One Laptop Per Child project (OLPC). One thing he said jumped out to me, that kids naturally and intuitively know how to operate computers and software. It comes naturally to them because it isn’t foreign. But if a child is involved so deeply in technology, won’t they be affected by a lack of other interactions, such as some of the social communication that took place when we were growing up?

If I had spent all my time growing up texting my friends and going on cyber dates, instead of taking bike rides and going hunting, I would have been a completely different person. Whether or not that change would have been for the worst I cannot say.

Rockefeller was once famously quoted saying that the key to success was the ability to handle people…A skill not taught by Nintendo DS or the iPod.

I’m not trying to rip on tech or anything…I’m fascinated by it, and I turned out alright. It definitely has its moments. (I just fell in love with the Macbook pro, and it scares me)

My point? I’m simply worried that the kids of tomorrow are going to discover too late the importance of dealing with people.

Aristotle once said that when the story telling goes bad in a society, the result is decadence. How will you learn to tell stories when you limit the amount of human interaction in your life?

There is nothing wrong with unplugging and taking an extra moment for someone else.