Which is better, the old days, or the new days?

[VinnyVideo]

An interesting question! It's hard to say with a binary poll question, however. First of all, what does "technology" mean? A caveman using a sharpened stick to poke open a beehive is employing technology (a tool used to solve a problem). If "technology" means "modern technology", what technology is modern? Personal computers, the Internet, TV, radio, airplanes, telephones, cameras, internal combustion engines, the printing press? Where do we delineate the boundary between modernity and the old days?

I don't mean to be pedantic here, but we've had many inventions that had a huge effect on how people function. So let's assume that "technology" here is referring to communications technology that has become widespread in industrialized nations since the end of World War II. This would include TV, personal computers, video games, the Internet, mobile phones, and other innovations that had a major effect on society. I'll ignore the effect of things like medical advances and technologies that were of more interest to businesses, educational institutions, militaries, and governments than the general public.

Some of these developments have been resoundingly positive. You can now get on the Internet and access far more information than any scholar could ever hope to find in the past. With a quick Web search, you can find even obscure books, music, movies, and art, available for free or a low cost. You can stay in touch with friends who have moved to other cities or countries - now, instead of having to go on an odyssey or wait a few months for snail mail to arrive at your destination, you can send an e-mail or text message that might take less than a second to get to its recipient. Modern technology also gives us lots of fun things to do - like playing Mario games and posting on MFGG!

This technology comes with a price, however. It's played a role in making us less active and less social, contributing to rising rates of obesity, loneliness, and depression. It's given governments and less-than-scrupulous companies plenty of new ways to spy on people. It's also had some negative effects on the environment, with increased demand on electrical systems and the challenge of dealing with difficult-to-recycle electronic waste. In the future, it may cause many jobs to be automated, which could result in widespread unemployment.

Is it worth it? I don't know. Far, far more could be written about this topic, so I wonder what y'all think.

Course clear! You got a card.