Technology, as we all know can be overwhelming. During this last decade alone we have seen truly marvelous advancements in our way of life because of technology. We can now find our way around new places thanks to GPS, we can video chat with family and friends thousands of miles away thanks to Skype and the internet, we can even read a book without having the need to carry it around thanks to e-books. Technology has advanced to such a degree that we can do basically anything now, there is probably an app for just about anything and everything. However when I was on YouTube today listening to some of my all time favorite songs, I came across this Verizon Wireless ad that reminded me that even though technology keeps advancing, we cannot always keep up.
New phones, computers, home appliances, e-readers, cameras, music players, televisions, game consoles, etc. for the list is endless, come out each year with the purpose of improving our lives. Some would say that the newest iPhone, Droid, or Samsung Galaxy were made with the intention of improving the way we communicate, share information, even surf the web but do they really? When the first iPhone came out I couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by the amount of information it had. I, nevertheless, got used to this phone and others like it; I was able to adapt. However many would say that this new technology; which seems to be changing/adapting right before our eyes everyday, is moving too fast and has thus become too complicated to understand. My mom has told my sister and me countless times that she cannot stand certain new technological devices because they have become much too complicated to understand. The iPhone she hates because of the touch screen, e-readers she cant stand because they hurt her eyes, and the same can be said about computers. She only uses the computer if she really needs to. Even when I'm talking to her via Facebook using a Skype application, she needs to have my sister or brother there just in case something happens and she doesn't know how to fix it. She understands the basics to using a computer but nothing beyond that.
My mom is not the first person who feels this way, nor will she be the last. As this commercial states certain things can just be too confusing to understand, even for the most technology savvy person out there. No matter how many times we are promised that we are going to love this new product because it will make our lives easier doesn't mean that we will understand it. Marketers can try to convince us to buy the latest phone or computer using this message of simplifying our lives, but that does not mean that they will. Technology, as great as it can be, can simply be too much.
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