Modern technology provides so many of life’s joys. After all, where would we be without Netflix on movie night or our GPS when taking a road trip? Still, there are some things about technology that just plain suck.
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7 The social Internet has made us less comfortable with humans
Whatever happened to people being fun? Sure, the Internet has made introverts more vocal by easing the necessary gusto it takes to speak out, but that’s just the thing; some people who would ordinarily need to work on their social skills have regressed to socializing via Facebook, Tumblr and Twitter instead of forming bonds with real friends. Others use these platforms as a means to passionately vocalize their every up and down in their roller coaster lives, while shying away from speaking on those subjects with actual people in person. And still others choose to ask friends to hang out by sending out a post without actually directing the message to any specific person. It’s a sad state, indeed.
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6 Printers
I won’t lie; printers are my arch nemesis. Between expensive ink, glitchy printer drivers and their diabolically and consistently flawed inner functions, they never seem to work the way anyone actually needs them to. Someone needs to build a 3-D printer that prints printers that work. Damn, that is some inception shit right there.
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5 Facebook; we need it in our veins
We are addicted to Facebook. Some of us use it to keep in touch with friends, others use it to gossip, and still others use it to consume news. There are so many reasons we check it multiple times per day (okay, per hour) and so many reasons that we can’t imagine life without it. Facebook both perpetuates and solves boredom. So, what happens one day when it’s all over? There will be withdrawal, the likes of which no one has seen since the baby-on-the-ceiling scene in Trainspotting.
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4 Video game DLC
Video games sure have gotten awesome, haven’t they? This multi-billion dollar industry continues to grow in size, spread its influence as a fringe art form and yet, game publishers are having financial troubles. Hell, even if they don’t, they push DLC (downloadable content) on us, asking us to pay extra hard-earned money for what are essentially parts of the game that should have been included in the first place.
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3 Modern technology that could be better but isn’t
There’s so much that can be done with modern technology, so why can’t we achieve universal compatibility for electronic devices or video game systems? It all comes down to $$$. What would be a nightmare for manufacturers would be an absolute win for consumers.
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2 The Internet makes us assholes
What is it about anonymity that allows us both feel and act upon severe internet rage? Everyone has an opinion, and they’re a hell of a lot more likely to share it if there is minimized accountability and no threat of an actual face-to-face interaction. It’s like road rage, only without the imminent danger and with a hell of a lot more dick swinging, intellectual posturing and creative curse word cultivation.
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1 We can’t live without our smartphones
I don’t have a smartphone, so my friends that do (i.e. 99% of them) can’t quite understand how it’s possible that I can live my life in the Stone Age. They tell me how much my life will improve once I get one, but all I see is increased reliance on yet another electronic device, not to mention far higher phone bills. Then again, I could use some sweet apps…
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(Previously published on March 21, 2013.)