Out with the Old, in with the Constantly Changing Technology

By Laura Revelt –

In our fast-paced society, time is an important variable, but when you need to know what time it is do you look at the strip of leather your wrist or do you check the mini computer in your pocket?

To call a business do you flip through the yellow pages or get online and instantly find the company’s number on their website? When making the call do use your cell phone or does your home still have a land line?

When driving in unfamiliar territory, do you pull over off to the side of the road and trace the turns you made on the wrinkled map between your seat and center console or do you program your trusty GPS to guide you to the desired location?

When doing research for your history project do you scan the library shelves or type a question into your favorite search-engine?

Technology is changing, therefore changing the way we live our daily lives: our wrists are bare, we use our ears rather than our eyes when driving and more time is spent typing than sifting through pages.

So far in our lifetime, we are witnessing the demise of the watch, the map, the phone book, the VHS and books with paper pages.

Natasha Fletcher, senior, explains that she owns a watch that she doesn’t wear.

“I have one that was my dad’s old one, but the battery doesn’t work on it,” said Fletcher. “It’s vintage. I want to wear it, but it doesn’t tell time. It’s kind of pointless.”

She explained that she thinks people wear them nowadays for fashion rather than for their actual purpose.

“Recently I’ve seen a lot of girls wearing them, like the flashy, big ones,” said Fletcher. “Everyone looks at the digital clocks. I think its fashion.”

Fletcher also added that she would use her cell phone over a watch anyway.

“It’s easier, less thinking, which sounds terrible,” said Fletcher.

The use of maps has changed as well. Instead of using the old, trusty tool of a road atlas, travelers are switching to Global Positioning Systems.

Symon Porteous, Business Development Manager of Lovell Johns Group of Companies, a mapping company, explained that, “Lovell Johns started producing maps over 40 years ago,” and that the demand for paper maps has changed because of competing technologies.

“Electronic images and then computer-based digital delivery of mapping has changed the way people view maps,” said Porteous.

Porteous said he thinks that the GPS popularity is, “Both a good and bad thing. Good because it has raised awareness of mapping in general public users’ minds and this helps us (Lovell Johns) sell our services. Bad because it has particularly eroded sales of road atlases which we have traditionally helped produce.”

Erick Dutchess, a teacher at Penn Manor, owns a GPS but has used a form of a paper map as well.

“I have used trip-ticks. They’re created by AAA. They would give you a paper map and highlight the roads,” said Dutchess.

“I use a GPS for long trips. I find their ability to not have me plan anything is awesome.”

It appears as though technology is providing an easy way of solving everyday problems. The same goes with cell phones. We see everyone using them, and teens are notorious for constantly texting. How much do they depend on them over other tools or technologies?

Elena Hart, senior, said her family got rid of their land-line phone about a year ago.

“(I am reliant) to stay in communication with people because if you’re not in communication with people, what is there? You’re solitary,” Hart said.

“I don’t text when I’m sleeping or at lacrosse practice,” said senior Olivia Hertzler.

Hertzler also said that without her phone,”I would probably be more focused and study more and feel naked.”

“I text. I call. I take pictures. I email. I schedule. I live,” said senior Stef Friedman. “Our generation is too dependent on their cell phones.”

With new popular technologies taking place of the old, will the dinosaur technology disappear?

The DVD has taken the place of the VHS tape and the iPod instead of the CD. Will the next generations recognize the tools we depend on now?

What will be the next to go?  What will be the next to come?