Technology in our world today...a few of my thoughts

How to use Technology and not be abused by it

I remember my first important job and the amazing technology that made my great accomplishments possible. I was about five years old when I started my career as an imaginary professional; sometimes writer, sometimes secretary. I would sit at my grandmother’s desk and type away for hours on a huge caste iron typewriter. The only time that I would take a break would be to make a very important imaginary telephone call on a phone that was just as antiquated. With all of the pleasure that I found hunting and pecking on this amazing piece of machinery I was certain that I would enjoy a bright future doing amazing things. When I look back now, all that I can say is “we’ve come a long way baby.”

I have worked at a local travel agency for over twenty years. This agency was started over seventy years ago by our current owner’s grandmother. Mrs. Haynie utilized pretty much the same technology that I used in my first job. Mrs. Haynie began her business with a typewriter, a telephone, and on occasion a lithograph. With these tools Mrs. Haynie was able to build an incredible business by fulfilling the dreams of seeing the world for many amazing people.

Now fast forward to the eighties when technology has grown by leaps and bounds. The personal services which once consisted of phone calls to many different places in the world confirming specific details for client’s, has become an environment of nearly all communication being handled electronically. Now travel agents have become facilitators of supply and demand. Most luxury travel has fallen to the wayside making room for mass transportation. Today travel consultants are rarely referred to as professionals.
We no longer type personal itineraries for our clients. Nor do travel consultants type airline tickets and validate them on semi-precious metal plates from the airlines. Today we talk less, email more and rarely print on paper. Although I greatly appreciate the savings of our natural resources, we have stepped away from many of the personal aspects of business. We tend to stay connected with our clients electronically. This means of communication has even carried over into our personal lives, as we tend to communicate with friends and family via social networking sites. Oftentimes while sitting at our desks at work we use the internet to post on Facebook, play video games, and to instant message our friends. Sometimes employees post information regarding corporate policies with a total disregard for professionalism which could warrant job termination. Many professionals feel they are justified in using the workday in this manner as a tradeoff because they are connected electronically to their jobs twenty-four hours a day.

Many travel less for business because they can now go to meetings via a website. One can talk to a person on their smart phone and at the same time text or email another person. When we are hungry we can tell our smart phone and be given instant options of many places to eat, including directions as well as menus. We can easily do this sitting at our desk. Unfortunately, too many of us use this technology while we are driving our cars risking our lives as well as the lives of others.

In our personal time we rarely write privately in our journals, we now blog on the world wide web for the entire world to see. We are more about expressing ourselves and less about listening to and understanding others. I recently asked my son where they plan to live when they move to Pittsburgh. His reply was to simply pick up his “Driod” and to speak his new address into it. He then turned the screen around for me to view. I saw a satellite view of Pittsburgh dropping like a rocket right in front of his new home. He then took me on a virtual tour of his street. As impressive as it was, I could only be thankful that my beautiful granddaughters were not “safely” playing outside when the video was made to facilitate what some believe to be necessary technology.

I am amazed that in our thousands of years of history how far we have advanced in the most recent thirty years. I feel we should all understand the need to communicate should the availability of electronics disappear, even if it is just for a short period of time.