I grew up in the nineties , where computers were in an early state of evolution and mobile phones did not exist. Now we seem to be overwhelmed with technology, with corporations in competition for large amounts of money. I’m not against this new age, but wonder where it takes us as human beings. Many sci- fi novels and films take a brave look into the future, such as neuromancer by William Gibson and the animated manga film, ‘Ghost in the shell’. They show a world where technology is so advanced that the virtual reality world is so real that it can’t be distinguished from normal reality. Other films like the matrix, even show that the world we live in is not even real. Will we head in this direction , with technology advancing so quickly it may not be that far away.
Living without the internet for most of my life, I feel comfortable without it and use it occasionally as an information source. As in Isaac Asimov’s foundation series, computers are useful in preserving knowledge and arts of the human race. But will this advancement consume people so much that the virtual reality world replaces our consciousness. Is it a quest for immortality, where the mind lives on forever. It would be a strange world if everyone was connected to a computer, that actual human interaction stopped altogether. Will people notice the birds in the sky and the beauty of a setting sun or will peoples fantasies be fulfilled by artificial technology.
We have to be careful not to lose our humanity and use technology in a positive way, where opinions and ideas can be shared. It will be a shame if we lose what makes us unique, possibly in the universe, in that our sprituality is something which cannot be bought and sold, its free and something which must be held on to.