The advent of computers and the Internet was probably the biggest 'bloodless revolution' our generation saw! It revolutionised the job sector and work culture like nothing else did. It reduced work load, need for a large manual workforce and created a new category of 'jobless'. A new skill which, if you had, opened up a whole new world of opportunity and if you didn't, you could lose your job!
I remember during my school days, the NIIT and APTECH centres that mushroomed all over the country, in every city and town possible. I was never a 'machine/ gadget ' person, so I only watched as others around me passionately learnt about the miracle machine!
As far as I'm concerned, I wasn't happy with the way we were taught computers in school. It was mostly theory and one computer had to be shared by 4-5 kids in the once a week 'practical class', depending on the class strength! Even if I had any enthusiasm, it faded away and it was nothing but a new subject in my syllabus! So my perspective is totally of one who is clueless about computers!
Presently, I'm the only computer 'illiterate' in our family of 4! Even my 10 year old is way ahead. But then, kids now were literally born playing with gadgets we are still struggling to work with!
I'm not unaware of its huge impact though! Well, that's surely the understatement of the century!!! We all know that right now there's simply nothing that is untouched by 'computerisation'.
In this world where everything is digital or computerised or virtual, I sometimes yearn for something familiar, something old school.... But I also love the ease of doing things with a flick of my thumb! Banking, shopping, studying, learning - sitting on my favourite couch , in the comfort of my home and connecting to any remote corner in the world! I don't remember the last time I went shopping or to the bank, even before the pandemic happened!
While some things have become easier, some have become a nuisance. There is no threshold for urgency and deadlines anymore as one is accessible anywhere anytime! There's this dependence and addiction to gadgets which is not desirable but unfortunately it only grows.... (Guilty as charged😬)
Where Google baba and Wikipedia are the fountain of knowledge, good old common sense takes a beating at times! In the world of Insta(gram) and beauty filters, we only see what we are shown! Most people, highly active on social networks, are completely unaware of the reality around them. They see and hear what is displayed on their screens. Like a chain reaction, a lie/ rumour becomes the truth! We use our thumbs and fingers more than we use our eyes, ears, heart or brain!!! 'Perception management', with the use of technology is the new age weapon of mass destruction! We are so gullible that we believe whatever we are fed by the social media easily, form opinions based on the same and become 'armchair experts' in fields we have no clue about! We have 'smart' gadgets but we aren't smart enough to use our gray cells when required. We totally underestimate the power and potential of the human brain which created all the smart gadgets in the first place! Social media has brought the world closer but has taken us further away from each other and from reality. Each one of us has become an 'island'.... Sometimes by choice, sometimes forced, sometimes to escape from the brutality of real life! What you see isn't always true. What you hear might be a rumour. What you believe may be designed precisely with that aim! We live in a world of make believe, of imagination gone awry, of the shallow and obvious. We live in a world so connected and yet so disconnected from reality! We live in a bubble which can burst anytime....
Apt... 👍