Latinka - Aku Bisa Mati

Since I didn't post on Friday, my assigned day, because life has been crazy post-honeymoon, I decided to post a little something today. Though it doesn't compare to Lynda's fabulous Halloween digital memo!

Yesterday and today, I pondered if we are too connected. As in we constantly have to have the latest updates on everything. I mean just think of the two hottest website--Facebook and Twitter. All they do is give members real time info on what their friends are doing. Did anyone stop to think what that info could be used for? Especially since it's not just individuals. Lately I've been seeing more and more corporations and large entities getting their cyber feet wet to gain customers.

In fact, the other night I saw a special on a company that only sales space to advertisers on buses in China. They make billions and have tons of clamoring clients, because the advertisers have a captive audience to sell their wares too. Plus it's cheaper than print or other forms of ad space. I was also astounded by a radio show that announced one minute long commercial on the hottest TV show (Sunday Night Football) cost over half a million dollars. That's 250,000! That's a lot of zeroes! Are you pondering, like me, what else someone could do with that kind of loot?

Make several of those annoying blinking ads on the bars of Facebook, lol. But you also have to wonder why are they going to tv? Because it's become society's babysitter? Because it's how the majority of us unwind at night, unless of course some of us are reading. Yet even that has gone hi-tech. Just yesterday I got to touch a Sony Reader. Yes it was cool, being able to whizz over text and store tons of titles in the space taken up by a paperback and a half. But there was no comparison to the feel of a real book, nor did the clicking ease my nerves like the little clack of sporadically turning pages.

At present I'm listening to the clickity-click of my fingers on my 10 year old laptop who can't compare with today's standards and is beginning to show years of dedicated wear and tear. But I love the feel of her keys, and can see the shine of where my fingers have tapped out text. Though now we (my hubby and I) have a new PC baby...a netbook. Sure he's cute--black with cute little curly Q's on his top, his keyboard is almost standard, he's fast and a lot lighter than my dear old standby. But it begs the question--why the need? So we can take them along on planes, trains and automobiles? So we can walk into a restaurant and be accosted by YouTube videos and music streaming from someone's speakers while they surf without courtesy on wi-fi?

Don't get me wrong, I delighted in having access during my honeymoon to look at pictures, check my e-mail and look up directions. But when you have bevies of people who can't use etiquette while on their cellphones, are they really going to on their minis? I don't believe anything has irked me so much of late than a man at the local hospital who brought in his laptop and Blackberry, then turned a section of the waiting area into his office. Then people he was with also pulled out their phones to text...inside the hospital where there are rules about using the devices! I sat there thinking about my sister having surgery and how I had work to do, but had the loving decency to leave my laptop at home because I needed to be there for her. I know people have deadlines and jobs, but really? Does the man have to make sales calls in the waiting room for everyone to hear and then turn our soap opera off so he can check the latest Money Market news?

Sure technology is terrific when you're stuck and need to call a hero, but I think people should stop and look at the flipside. Would we talk more, would we really look and listen to what's around us? Better yet, would we have less stress if we weren't always connected? And if we're this connected now, what will the next wave in the future hold?



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