Tom Tozer and Bill BlackIt may have all started when we were able to pump our own gas. Gradually, there was no more interaction with an attendant.
Then came the ATM machine, and we could do our banking in the privacy of our own car. More and more homes were built without front porches. No more chatting with the neighbors as they walked by. In fact, no more walking. People retreated indoors.
The personal computer brought the world indoors as well. We could reach out across the globe without shaking a hand. We could shop in cyberspace and purchase anything we could afford. The cellphone evolved into the smarty-pants phone and permitted us to communicate with one another without sharing physical space, making eye contact or opening our mouth. Today, the e-device is our personal remote — and that’s what we have become.
The irony is rich. We praise this technology as a means to get closer, stay in touch and maintain relationships. At the same time, we are cursed with the advent of cyberbullying. We can rip one another to shreds without lifting a hand — only a couple of thumbs.
Texting has become another drug of choice behind the wheel of an automobile, leaving a trail of harm. All of us are curators of our own photo galleries. Bad behavior can be digitally captured and circulated worldwide. But worse, camera phones are now voyeurs that invade personal privacy and spy on behavior that is perfectly legal but nobody else’s business. It’s all become a new form of recreation and entertainment.