Technology Withdrawal… Feeling Lost Without Your Tech

(Mis)Uses of Technology

from the what-do-I-do-now? dept

Earlier today, people took us way too seriously when we jokingly asked whether or not technology makes us smarter. We were more making fun of that question showing up every few months when reporters don’t have anything else to write about, but people seem to love to debate the question. A much more interesting discussion, however, may be what happens when you lose some technology you’ve come to rely on. A few years ago, we discussed this in the extreme case of Steven Mann who is trying to live his life as a “cyborg,” but was forced to remove his computer equipment to board a plane. The loss of such technology made it difficult for him to function. He claimed he had trouble walking and even fell down a few times. Obviously, that’s an extreme example, but you can certainly see how it could apply to more everyday examples. For example, in this blog post, someone from the Institute for the Future notes that his car’s GPS navigation system was stolen recently — and even though he knows his way around the city, he proceeded to feel disoriented and get lost, since he was so used to having the navigation system to rely on. It seems likely that these kinds of “technology withdrawal” situations are going to become more common.