What are the things you miss? What I'd like to know is what you miss from the Advent of technology? Do you miss being able to have personal relationships? Conversations with complete strangers one-on-one interaction? To look into someone's eyes to see their expression even to touch them!? Not a picture or selfie! To feel others warmth? Has technology separated us from these interactions and experiences? Have we became a Society that looks towards a device for comfort and interaction? Have we excluded from life's Little Pleasures has Being Human?
As I look around today all I see are people into their own little world,and yes I'm guilty as well!.
All I guess I'm saying when is this going to change? Are we ever going to be completely satisfied? Or has technology became away to be a surrogate in almost all ways?
I notice one will take a picture but not truly take in the sites or person they are taken a picture of...Not being in the moment! Rushing to post it or edit it or to manipulate what they saw but not truly being able to see or to experience that moment in time! Sure we will have an interesting picture or Story to Tell... but did you ready enjoy the moment? Actually truly see the expression on the face of your beloved as you took the picture,.Or truly see the colors of the sunset or smell the flower? These are things we miss because technology has taken that away! We have alienated ourselves from human interactions and being in the moment!! As we get all the likes on our social media we think that truly brings us happiness but I think it doesn't it only makes us strive for more likes and more post!! When truly a we may miss a true conversations or interactions with the ones we love!! Just something to think about!! What have you missed? What do you miss and what do you truly want do you want likes or do you want to be liked? Do you want to have real conversations and interactions or do you want technology to alienate you from experiencing life?
I would love to hear thoughts?! Blessings love and light B

Hi Bobbie, I agree with everything in your post.

We're becoming less human and more disconnected from nature, our immediate surroundings, and even ourselves. One thing that really strikes me is how humans don't even know how to sit alone in silence anymore. There just has to be some kind of a distraction, whether it's listening to music or checking the notifications on your dumb-phone. Solitude and self-reflection doesn't seem to matter to people anymore. As for how we engage with other human beings, I think the title of Sherry Turkle's book sums up the state of the world today -- we're all 'Alone Together'.

I've had a huge interest in technology for years, so this topic touches a nerve with me and I have a lot to say about it. There are two important aspects of this topic that most people tend to overlook.

1) We always focus more on what technology can allegedly 'do' for us, and not enough on what it takes away from us. The author and communications theorist Neil Postman wrote extensively about technology being a 'faustian bargain'. The trans-humanists. and people in tech circles almost exclusively focus on the alleged 'gains' that result from new technologies, but never on the losses. It's the type of thinking that has led to the technocratic feudalism that rules the world today -- corporatism, big pharma and the banking system are all a part of this.

2) I really hate the simplistic viewpoint held by some people that "technology is neutral, it's just about how you use it" variety. This view is complete and utter nonsense. New technologies themselves alter the very fabric of everything -- whether it's politics, freedom, discourse, media, language production methods,, or what it even means to be a human being. The fact is, ordinary citizens increasingly have no control or say over how technologies are developed, used and applied because everything is centralized. This point is so important, that you can't state it often enough.

There are a number of books that really go into detail about how technological systems to a large extent end up having a life and logic all of their own. The most important book ever written on this subject is 'The Technological Society' by Jaques Ellul:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Ellul#On_technique

His work is not an easy read, but he really does an incredible job of explaining how political and technical systems tend to steamroller and alter the entire fabric of existence, something akin to an Hegelian 'Geist'.

There is a book that was published recently by the Russian writer and blogger Dmitry Orlov, called 'Shrinking the Technosphere'. I haven't finished reading it yet, but I can highly recommend it because it tries to address some of the issues Bobbie writes about in her post, and it tries to offer solutions to age old problems that are getting worse and worse, day by day.

Jean,Thank you for sharing your very insightful and informational statements,Will definitely have to check out The Technological Society! I know one day in the future there my be days the power may go down and people may have to be forced into withdrawals of technology! Well that will be a days to behold lives my change very quickly overnight!! Let's see what happens as Society continues using technology now and in the future! Thank you again for sharing Love and Light B,

Well said.

Unfortunately, this is our course, and will not be reversed. We just need to ensure that as individuals we remain human, and clean.

Firstly a great forum, I agree with Bobbi. Jean thank you for book recommendations. JMR very true!!
I personally feel that as much as technology has to offer it takes away the human in us, it ditaches us from humanity and we have in my belief became a slave to technology! I think that technology has alienated us from nature and real human interaction and also to look within (whatever that might mean for each individual) and heal ourselves!! I love the feel of a book in my hands as I feel it makes for a more pleasing experience. I will not buy a kindle, never, I in fact think it so sad that people even use Kindle to read I realise that many books can be housed on the kindle so to speak which is easier than carrying a ton of books around but I still think it totally unnecessary you can still carry a good few books around if you so choose to!! There is nothing more beautiful than nature and books and of course real human interaction be it with friends or family!