In this land of instant gratification, technology plays a major role. We live in a society where everything is so convenient, easily accessible and suited to fit in our personal schedules.

In the book “Technology Matters: Questions to Live With,” author David E. Nye addresses the importance of technology and the impact it has on our daily lives. He writes: “Technology matters because it is inseparable from human beings.” Nye continues, “We are intimate with devices and machines from an early age as children.”

Many wouldn’t argue with that, but where do we draw the line when it comes to making “grown-up toys” so acceptable in today’s society? Everywhere you go it’s almost foreign not to be in contact with the latest machinery; if you’re walking around with a Walkman compared to an Ipod, you’re looked at as being an outcast or someone who hasn’t made the proper transition in this ever-changing, fast-paced world.

Look at cellular devices for instance. It’s become more than just a tool used for chatting; it’s become something we rely heavily upon. With most phones, users can add up to 300 contacts, browse the net, store vital information and remind themselves of important dates such as anniversaries and birthdays, all while listening to the built-in MP3 player.

Things can come to a point where it’s more than a cell phone; it can become something similar to a companion. Some people store their entire lives into a cell phone and are in a state of total turmoil when the small piece of equipment is misplaced or accidentally gets some liquid spilled over it.

We may never know how important it is to know a telephone number or two by heart (like people did in previous decades) until our battery dies and we’re stranded somewhere in unfamiliar territory.

Our entire world is slowly but surely being taken over by technology. The cliché phrase “the rich get richer while the poor get poorer” is something that the era in which we live is seeing more and more of by the day.

Big name corporations aren’t interested in hiring a mass bundle of humans to get their work done when all they have to do is make a computer do all the things that a human can do without the pay. Technology makes things more profitable for corporations, not us.

Walk into you’re local grocery store and take a glimpse at all of the jobs that have been taken away from struggling Americans like yourself. If you don’t want to stand in line all you have to do is go to the U-Scan aisle and do everything that the cashier once did without any assistance. It’s as easy as listening to the operator’s voice and touching the screen where indicated before paying for your items.

It’s hard not to agree with Nye when he says “Technology matters.” It matters because we’ve grown so accustomed to using its many advantages. Everything has pros and cons — technology isn’t exempt. No doubt it helps, but how often do we hear people speaking about how much it’s injuring our society?

The downside of technology is how it hurts us. It results in humans becoming lazy and having little to no patience because we are so accustomed to things happening in a timely fashion.

How many current writers are willing to take the old school approach by typing out manuscripts by using a typewriter? We would enhance our brains due to the amount of words that we would automatically know how to spell without any assistance.

The thought alone of working with something that didn’t have the privilege of having handy tools like spell check or word count gives me the creeps.

Less labor equals better production, which results in a dependent and lazy society. We have modern technology to thank for that.

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