The Technological Revolution
The mind is smart – it tries to do everything as easily and efficiently as possible. On the other hand, you might say that the mind is lazy, because when given the choice, it usually picks the easiest method for us to live. If technology was developed specifically to make work more difficult or demanding or to consume more of our free time, it would never be popular. If we are honest, most of us would not resist anything that would make our lives physically a little bit easier. Almost no one rejects the opportunity to spend time entertaining themselves in front of the television or computer during their free time. This innate intelligence to seek laziness is also one of the driving forces behind technological development. It has driven more efficient ways of working with the goal of increasing wealth and creating more free time. The goal is positive, but the consequences are, unfortunately many.
Technology does not only change our work habits or made our time management more efficient, it has changed our world. The change in question is faster than ever before. At Beloit College in Wisconsin, over 10 years of surveys have been collected from students about their life experiences. Do you still remember life before remote controls?
As we have observed, our lives have changed at an astonishing rate. Every generation sees the world in a different light. Technology has pushed into our lives in such a way that what was previously viewed as a luxury is now seen as something we cannot live without. Distances and boundaries are close to non-existent and the world’s ideas, experiences, and networks are melding into one. We are able to get what we want, and go where we want, when we want it. At the same time that technology gives us new opportunities; it has changed and accelerated our lives to an unprecedented speed. We no longer use technology on occasion, we are addicted to technology.
Futurist Richard Watson published a list of things that will happen by the year 2040. The world may be a very different place in a few decades and part of that depends on how we change it with our own choices.