Corin Harpe writes a “My Life” column for the Life section of the Chattanooga Times Free Press.As we usher in the new year, it seems that everyone got an iPad for Christmas. The computer store where I work was crowded with people eager to use these new devices and learn more about them.
Many people have benefited from iPads, and their ease of use has allowed for much discovery.
But as a member of the “millennial” generation, I’ve found it interesting that this increase in use and availability of technology has been inter- generational.
Technology is essential, not only to our well-being but to our humanity. Technology has grown with us and marked us as a society. To me, technology defines life. It gains momentum as each generation discovers more about the world.
All of us can remember a time when a particular form of technology did not exist. For me, it was wide availability of the Internet and later the cellphone. I remember being in the second or third grade when my friend’s family acquired a computer with Internet access. It was dial-up, and I always knew that someone was using the Internet because whenever I called the house I would receive a busy signal. Compare that to high-speed wireless Internet and fiber optics we use today. Also, the Internet at that time was mainly used for chat rooms and did not contain the wealth of information we now depend on in our everyday lives.