The other night my wife and I watched the movie “Hot Tub Time Machine.” We enjoyed it but I can’t say it’s a must-see.
What I will say is that for anyone who grew up back in the 80s you’ll laugh.
The director did a great job capturing just what life was like back then.
30 years ago mobile phones weighed a ton and cost a mint.
Wham was hot. Miami Vice style was in.
But that was then, a lot’s changed since.
Mobile phones have gotten smaller, cheaper and more practical.
Computers help us do tasks faster and more efficiently than ever before.
The Internet gives us access to obscene amounts of knowledge at our finger tips.
And Social Media is now connecting us like never before.
Sounds like paradise, right?! Well, not entirely.
What it often overlooked is just how much pressure all of this technology is putting on us.
The faster we get data, the faster we are expected to make decisions. People want answers yesterday.
Competition has grown. China, India, and Brazil have all become world powers within a very short period of time.
We’re expected to do more, handle more, achieve more, be more.
The problem is while the world is changing at breakneck speeds, we are changing gradually.
With so much going on around us it’s hard to take it all in. So we don’t.
We take the things that we need and forget the rest.
I’m still amazed that some college students here in Japan don’t have a computer or use the Internet. It just blows my mind.
My mother, who turns 74 this year, gets stressed out when her connection is down.
She’s got a Facebook account and uses Skype each week.
I, for one, love technology and will be picking up my iPad2 tomorrow.
Each new piece of technology allows me to get more done, faster, wherever, whenever and with less hassle.
For me, I say bring it on. Pressure and all.
Adrian Shepherd