Gag Me with a GPS

Do you ever feel suffocated by technology?  I do.  I remember when DVDs came out.  We were newlyweds and were invited over to another newly-wed couple's home to watch a movie on their new DVD player.  The guys were in ecstasy.  They couldn't get over the quality!  (I could barely notice a difference.)  Almost overnight, VHS videos and players became history.  I hated how there was this sudden pressure to "convert to DVDs".  It meant buying a DVD-player, exchanging a VHS collection for a DVD collection, and increases in movie rentals.  I resisted it with every fiber of my being, until I finally decided that the conversion was inevitable.  So for Christmas I bought my husband a DVD player, using my 20% employee discount at Sears.


I also resisted getting a cell phone.  You mean pay how many dollars a month so that you can be interrupted at any moment, even when you're enjoying a long, quiet drive?  But after having two young children and watching pay phones fade into oblivion and almost getting lost one night on back country roads, it seemed like a wise investment.  So in 2005, Jarred bought me a cell phone for Christmas. 

Then it was laptops.  Then the GPS.  Then iPods.  Then Nintendo Wii.  Now iPhones.  Does anyone feel like screaming?!  Don't get me wrong.  There is plenty I absolutely love about technology.  The internet is the most amazing resource, and I love keeping up with family and friends on Facebook.  I'm enjoying the blogging world.  It's great to have a cell phone to call AAA when I have car trouble, to let a friend know I'm sitting in traffic, to catch up with my mom while on that long, quiet drive.  (Did I just admit that?  ...I don't text while driving!)  And texting is a very efficient means of communication when you don't have time for a long conversation.  The verdict on the GPS is still out for me.  That little box has led me astray more than a few times.

But with most wonderful things in life, there are also downsides.  (And here is where the ranting begins...)  I begin with the iPhone.  All I can say is that the thing is lucky to still be "alive."  It's so darn disruptive with its beeps and buzzing, alerting its user whenever a text comes through or a reminder alarm goes off.  And it's a constant temptation to "get connected," as if you are a poor lonely soul on a deserted island without internet connection.  And have you seen the couples out on a "date" at a nice restaurant, sitting across from each other, staring lovingly into.... the screen of their iPhones?!  Gag me!

Then there is the money thing.  Why is it that everyone has to upgrade every year?  These electronic industries are pretty smart and a whole lot greedy.  Every new gadget quickly becomes passe', and every gadget that replaces it comes with new accessories... chargers, ear buds, remotes, payment plans.  Can you hear the "cha-ching! cha-ching! cha-ching!"?

Probably my greatest complaint has to do with the time and attention theft that electronics bring along with their packages.  How many nights have I stayed up way past my bedtime being sucked into facebook alerts, only to experience the consequences the next day of being tired and grumpy?  And how often have we argued with our son over how much time he can spend in front of a screen or what he's allowed to watch in front of that screen?  And how many conversations have been interrupted by a cell phone ring?  And how many important moments have we missed with our children because Jarred and I are "just finishing up an email"? 

I certainly don't have the answers on what is a balanced use of the wonderful world of electronics.  I do know that I have sometimes longed to unplug it all and move to an intentional community which is intentional about avoiding an overuse of technology.  But I think intentionality is what is important when discussing electronic use.  My husband and I have sat down on many occasion to discuss what boundaries we will put on our children's use.  We've had discussions with one another about our expectations of the other's use. But I think we could do even better.  It's easy to look around and say, "Well, everyone else has this gadget or that cable plan; I guess we need it, too."  We can't forget to count the cost of constant connection, constant stimulation, constant conversion to the latest and the greatest.  I believe all this comes with a really high cost, and one that needs evaluated from time to time.