The last century has seen the birth of many technological advances. Advances in computer technology has made almost all information available to the average person. Advances in cellular communications have made us readily available whether at home or on the go. Many of these advancements have greatly improved our way of life, our productivity, and our standard of living.
We watch the world from a screen, as images from around the world are beamed straight to our living rooms, our computers and even our cell phones. And while it would be hard to imagine our lives without many of these conveniences, there are some creations I feel we could live without. Here are a few of those inventions.
In 2006 Jack Dorsey created Twitter. Now we follow athletes, celebrities, musicians and almost anyone
Who decides to update us whenever they feel the need to vent, chat, update, or comment on what they are doing, thinking or feeling at any given point or time. Tweets from famous people become instant news. Often times with the tweeter regretting their words only to find that it’s too late to retract their statements. Our countries obsession with celebrity, and the finality of one’s statements, lands twitter squarely on my list of things I wish had never been created.
Reality TV
Following Twitter on my list of things I wish were never created we have reality television. We no longer require talent to capture our attention. Acting is now an afterthought as we are mesmerized by
People, who investigate the supernatural, bake cakes, cross over, keep up, and keep it real. Many of us do not realize that these so called reality shows are just as scripted as most conventional television dramas. So for calling it reality but not keeping it real, reality TV is second on my list.
Infomercials
We’ve all seen them. On those long, late nights, when our insomnia kicks in and we just can’t sleep.
It’s 2:00 a.m. and they come on the screen. They promise to clear our acne, whip us into shape,
Snuggle us up, and sweat us to the oldies. They effectively end any chance of finding anything worth watching, on the already limited 2:00 a.m. television market. So For Flooding my late night television with an endless stream of Thigh Masters, Foreman’s, and Ped Eggs, Infomercials are third on my list.
The Bluetooth Headset
A few days ago I began an interesting conversation with a nice lady at the supermarket. She spoke, so I spoke. Then she almost immediately launched into a story about her youngest grandchild, a story that involved a kiddie pool, birthday cake, and something about a puppy if I recall. I remember thinking that it was unusual for someone to so readily share with a stranger at the grocer.
I found it refreshing and having a three year old of my own, I told a story just as harrowing. Finally as I paid for my items and began to exit the store, I said “it was very nice talking to you”. At which point the lady pointed to the device behind her ear and said “I’m sorry, I’m on the phone. Did you say something”? For making an idiot out of me at the supermarket the Bluetooth Headset is next on my list.
Touch Screen Cell Phones
Recently I switched from my old cell phone to a new touch screen “smart phone”. And while I have enjoyed some of the features of the phone, Such as navigation, fast internet access, and voice activated search features. I have been having a lot of trouble with the touch screen aspect of the phone. Always cutting people off, or dialing them by accident. Due to one such recent accidental dialing that involved my mother and a conversation between my fiancé’ and I, touch screen cell phones are on my list as well.
Credit Cards
A poor college student, a new credit card, five years of collection calls. Enough said.
Online Job Applications
Having just moved from a city of over one million to a town of 2000 the difference in the job market was a little bit shocking, to say the least. So I prepared, updating and printing resume’s, re-writing cover letters, etc. The next day I put on my shiniest shoes, nicest suit, and hit the street. Stopping at every business in which I thought my skills and experience might possibly land me a job. I have always been great at interviews, so I expected to find something rather quickly.
At each business I was told the same thing, “we only accept applications online now.” Effectively negating any interview skills that may have helped me in my search, so for turning a job search into an impersonal, automated act, online job applications are at the top of my list for things I wish had never been invented.
[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’][/author_image] [author_info]Donna wrote this piece on a Friday afternoon after finishing up work at Edictive. Judging on the opinion she must have had one stressful week. Thank God it’s Friday. [/author_info] [/author]
Featured images: License: Creative Commons image source
