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10
OPINION
Technology leaves consumers in the dust
Advancing technology pushes consumers to keep up this holiday season
Ray O’Hara
Staff Writer
The holiday season is upon us once again and the competition
for the newest electronics are underway. Stockings
will no doubt be filled with the biggest brand names in
the industry. Last month, the iPhone 4GS was released to customers
around the world. This marked the fifth release of a
new iPhone in just four years. While it’s obvious that technology
is changing very quickly, it may make people wonder if it’s
too quick.
With a new version of an electronic device coming out almost
every year, others become dated. For example, when the
original iPhone came out in 2007, the largest size available was
8GB. Within eight months the largest size had been doubled.
Now the consumer with the 8GB iPhone was suddenly inferior
to those who waited less than a year from the original release
date.
Annual sports video games provide the perfect scheme for
consumers to purchase a new version of the game every year.
EA Sports manages to create a new version of Madden for every
NFL season. Everyone has to have the new players in this
year’s version of the game, so they have no problem handing
over the dough to buy it. At $65 every single year, this can become
an expensive series to follow.
Changing technology has not only affected the way people
buy, it has also affected their attitude toward technology. Long
gone are the days when people were amazed by new advancements
in modern science. We now just expect out products to
work. Rarely do people ever look back and think about how
life would be different if this product had never been created.
Instead, we complain about why it is not working when we
need it. The luxury of technology has been ruined by the expectance
of its dependency.
When e-mail was first introduced to the world, people felt
that it revolutionized the way we communicate. We would no
longer need to use “snail-mail” and could instead reach anybody
within minutes. Some people felt that regular postal service
would eventually fade away. We now see services such as
instant messaging, text messaging, and social media networks
threatening to fade e-mail away. Why send somebody an e-
mail that they might not check for several hours when we can
get a response within minutes through a text? Now our biggest
worry is why our text won’t send from this corner of the building.
Maybe it’s because you’re standing underneath four feet
of concrete.
People also look for the most convenient way to obtain their
information. Almost every cell phone has internet access available.
This is something that would have never been imagined
when the cell phone was first produced. Now people rely on
this as their primary source of the web while outside the home.
Soon the entire desk-top computer may vanish because of
the overwhelming popularity of “smart” phones. When I was
DECEMBER 2011
forced to get a twitter account this school year because of the
new communication policy, I found myself looking to have
the tweets sent directly to my phone. This seemed like a much
simpler option than logging into my computer and actually
checking the twitter account. Technology has helped bring a
new standard of lazy upon us.
It is unknown as to what the future of the world will become
with the unlimited amount of technological advancements.
Maybe someday the Viator Voice will instead be distributed
through an electronic tablet. However, there is one thing that
is clear. Technology has and always will be ever changing. As
we move into the future, it can only be assumed that technology
will continue to advance at an alarming rate.
Popular tech products including laptops, iPods, and
iPhones regularly become outdated as new products are
released.
Photos by Angelina Manola
Saint Viator High School
www.saintviator.com