Life Without Technology
Today I was again spending time talking to friends, family, and random people at points, but unlike normal i had an objective, to see if they could remember a life without a technology (defined below) in their house or more so life. A little survey you could say.
Before I ramble on i feel i must define technology in its use here. By technology i mean a device such as a personal computer, a platform console or mobile phone.
Personally I remember a life without all of these (at least for a period of months at points). I remember we had a Nintendo which we could only play on a b&w tv, not sure of the reason for only this tv. I also remember my house had its first computer when i was 8! (during the early web2.0 boom, 1997) and I immediately took to it like a duck to water, unlike my family it must be said, who still struggle to this day. Not long after we were connected to the Internet, on what seemed like an amazing 56kbps…though i seem to remember we never actually had more than a 3kbps connection (my first bad experience with BT! but not my last). Then just before the big millennium celebrations i seem to remember the manufacturer of said computer (AST) was bought by Time Computers …who soon went bust as well…. the boom had gone!.
As for mobile, well i was about 12 or 13 when i first got my mobile. It was a big motorola, and i remember when the battery ran out you could replace the battery with 4 AA batteries and it would work again, at least for a while. I later found out i should have kept this mobile as they are worth something these days it would seem, but i threw it away as you do in your youth, so hey ho.
So this is me but i’ve talked to other people and they have had vastly different experiences to me.
My father for instance, he certainly remembered a time without technology (as described above) and remembers the first b&w tv in his street with a remote control on cable, and crowding around to watch football and snooker.
Older than this people certainly know of life without even more technology (so i didn’t visit this area).
Other friends (from 16 to 20) who i talked to, said they remember not having a computer til they were older than me and after me, just as a recession (to which to some extent we are still in, even if it appears to be popping again) started during 2001/2. Mobiles seem to have been purchased around the same time (normally by said child’s parents not themselves). As for platforms, well experience as with all varies, the younger end (younger than 19) seem to remember from the mega Drive, PlayStation One, or Two in some cases (notice I’m ignoring the game boy here).
All very interesting but they all remember not having technology in their life…
so i talked to my little brother (12)
He can not remember a time without a personal computer in the house, nor a platform (PlayStation) or without someone i the house (i.e me) having a mobile phone.
So what does this show i hear you say. Well in all not much on the surface, but underneath I believe it shows how quickly technology has taken off and that people generally younger than 14/15 don’t remember a life without some kind of platform or personal computer.
Are you envious of these wee little children? I’m not, and with good reason, i can at least to some extent compare my life now with a time without such technology and feel happy about that. Where as the youth will only know of a time if the worlds technology crashes as was described with the Y2K bug (which never was!), I wish it did happen, but then again i wouldn’t have the job i do now, i wouldn’t be studying what i am, and i certainly wouldn’t be blogging to you here and now, nor tweeting, facebooking or myspacing. Life’s so busy with technology i sometimes like to try and get away from it, though its not always possible, but we can only try.
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I don’t ever remember not having a computer (I’m 23).. but I remember the time before mobile phones were around. And with everybody having a phone and an ipod in their pocket as a general rule (both nowadays with internet access) it’s gonna be harder to get away from it all. But I think rather than using them for emailing and webbing we’ll be twittering, gpsing, communicating with public displaysing, and other such useful stuff
But like you without technology and the web (both current and upcoming) I wouldn’t have the degree or job I have. Weird how quickly web development (and computer science in general) has grown a lot in the last decade or so
I had a computer in the house first when I was 8 and my Dad asked my Mum why we wanted one of those…. and at least 10 computers later in the house he has had about 5 himself!!
My first phone was one that mum and dad gave me secondhand to make calls when I really needed to… soon I had my very first new one in 2004 which was a o2 branded phone and I loved it as it had a camera in it… but NO bluetooth! However my next phone had both, and my phone now has radio even! Tech has got really impressive at how and what features phones etc have.
I have now got onto my 5th pc (I have had secondhand ones (within the family) plus a few completely new ones). Currently I have a Windows Vista pc and a Windows XP netbook.
This post you have made is a wider picture of my latest http://dsheaven.com/heavenblog/2010/08/iphone-personal-organiser/ post about the iphone/ipod…. and how it has changed tech immensely. My post I recommend a read!
I hope my comment has been of use!
Thanks for your comments sarah about, life without technology. and yes it was a useful comment 
