Phones, iPods, iPads, and Computers

I take Metro on daily basis, just like many other interns in DC, to commute to work, do errands, explore DC, or visit some friends who are in the city. On Tuesday or Wednesday, I had a epiphany. I was on Metro and playing Spider Solitaire, which is my current favorite game on my iPhone. I peeled my eyes off my phone to enjoy the scene and vee[1] people. At that moment, I saw that literally everyone has phone, iPod, or anything electronic on them. They either had the electronics in their hands or pocket. Like me, they were using them constantly throughout the ride.

After veeing people using their electronics, I wondered what it would be like if we were in an era that did not have phones, iPods, or computers. Would we be interacting with each other even more? Or would we find something else to keep us occupied, such as reading a book, newspaper, or anything? My mind wandered even more and realized something. Since I’ve started interning, I was on computer much more than usual. I use it to read emails, communicate with fellow interns and my bosses, read constituents emails and faxes, respond emails, type letters, write blog entries, tweet about news regarding to homelessness or poverty, and so on. Without one thing—a computer—I will not be able to do my work!

I belong to Generation Y, the generation that includes those who are born in mid 1970s to mid 1990s. Most of the people I intern with or work for belong in this generation. Actually, almost every 2012 AAPD intern belongs in Generation Y. This generation is the first generation that grew up with computers in their homes. The most popular media this generation uses is, naturally, social media. We are so obsessed with it that there are job positions for this. I am currently the intern who is to work with social media at National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty.

In the matter of fact, research found that when people who use social media regularly attempt to quit social media, they showed the same withdrawal symptoms of drug addict who quit using drugs. That concept creeps me out, but at the same time, I do agree with the research. I tried to stop using Facebook a while ago this year, but constantly failed to do so. I kept typing the Facebook URL address into my web browser without realizing what I was doing.  

The question remains, are we so dependent on technology that we would be worthless without it?

Ironically, while writing this blog entry, the Internet was down at my work. It was down from the minute I entered the office and it was still down when I finished this entry. I actually could not do any work because I could not do any research online, read news on homelessness or poverty, tweet, or update programs that are internet-based. I actually had to use my iPhone Internet to find some information on Generation Y.

---

[1] A slang we, Deafies, use, which means observe