Change Has Come

CEBU, Philippines — It seems people now prefer to see and experience more of their lives  and the world through technology rather than with their very own eyes and senses. Technology has become a significant force in their lives,

to the point that they don’t even mind being ‘controlled’ by it.

Life is never static. In fact, one of the key characteristics of life is constant change. Anything that stays the same is most likely lifeless.

It is also human nature to want continuing movement and progression. Something new is exciting, but only for a while. The longer a good thing stays the same, the more it becomes boring.

Good thing, the human race has the creative capacity of thinking up ways for making sure that the life experience is always fresh and interesting – never boring. People make tools to make their jobs easier. And they make more tools to make life fun.

Perhaps the biggest human achievement yet is in the field of technology, which permeates almost all, if not all, other areas of human endeavor. Modern technology is making great headway in the fields of engineering, medicine, communication, education, trade and commerce etc. Man has effectively moved out of the cave and gone right on to reach the stars, all because of technology.

Truth is – in the modern world, people have grown quite spoiled with technology. The things that technology brings have caused a big change in the human lifestyle. It is now so common to hear people admitting that life would be so dull without technological gadgets and equipment.

The many conveniences and the speed of communication that have since become ordinary are gifts from modern technology. Today, the cool temperatures in their air-conditioned homes and offices make Filipinos forget that they are in a tropical country. And people talk with friends a hemisphere away like they were just next-door apart.

Indeed, recent technological advancements have changed the way people live their lives. The way they think about and see the world has changed, too. The question now is whether the changes are all completely for the better.

True, technology makes doing things easy and, in most cases, quick. It has also allowed for the human conquest of what used to be unreachable territories – like outer space and the innermost parts of the human body. Now it is possible to predict the turns of the weather – accurately! – as it is also easy to spot any section of the planet, in real time, down to the street level or someone’s yard.

In this modern world, one cannot walk down the street, sit on a bus or eat at a restaurant without being surrounded by people with eyes fixed on their smart phones, tablets and laptops. The recent count of active internet users worldwide is 3.175 billion, constituting half of the world population. It is reported that two million smart phones are being sold worldwide every day.

The smart phone is a far cry from what phones used to be. It can do a lot more than just make or take a call. With a smart phone, one can check emails, order food, shop, take photographs, listen to music, watch videos etc. – it can even function as a personal assistant for alerting appointments and other important things to do.

And now there’s social media, the biggest craze of the internet age to date that users can engage in from their mobile gadgets. Facebook is growing by half a million new users every day.  On Instagram, more than 70 million photos and videos are exchanged daily.

These statistics and popular behaviors make it appear like a good part of the population now sees the world through a screen or a lens. Many people visit famous cities and landmarks just to be able to post a photo online. Family members won’t let go of their gadgets even at the dining table.

It seems people now prefer to see and experience more of their lives and the world through technology rather than with their very own eyes and senses. Technology has become a significant force in their lives, to the point that they don’t even mind being ‘controlled’ by it. Sadly, those born in the technological age don’t see anything wrong with that.

What used to be dreaded era is here. Change has come. And there’s yet more to expect.