“With great power, comes great responsibility”
Ever since the first Spider-Man movie came out, this phrase has been repeated over, and over, and OVER again. People may be tired of hearing it, but it describes exactly how I feel about computing.
The speed at which modern technology works is staggering. Millions of bits and bytes transferred within seconds, the ability to multi-task with numerous applications, virtual reality, and the entire Internet in the palm of our hand. College students can even build a global business from their dorm room, something absolutely unheard of fifteen years ago. Humanity has so many possibilities at our fingertips, and I absolutely love it!
Having said that, we really have to be careful with all this power. And no, I’m not saying we’ll make Terminators from this technology or the Google Drones will turn on humans. What saying is that this technology can be so immersive that we often lose sight of other important things in life.
For example, programming an entire website may be enjoyable, but it can be lonely to sit in a room all day doing that. Virtual reality, on the other hand, allows us to explore brand new worlds while completely ignoring what’s “outside of the box”. But when we leave the box, we find that other people have been exploring the world we live in. They’ve been socializing, making friendships, and interacting in the very ways that make us human. Forgetting to do this can make the real world extremely difficult place to live in.
Sorry for the slightly depressing post guys, but I hope you understand where I’m coming from. I’m not saying we should stop Apple from selling computers or shut down the Internet. However, I think it’s important to take a break from these things every once in while so we can truly experience all that life has to offer.