All These Devices

In recent days, I had two dreams (that I can remember) that heighten my awareness of my dependency on and fear of all these technological devices I have around me.  I think my  subconscious might be trying to warn me.Friday night I dreamed that I mistakenly left my cell phone in the car of a new acquaintance I met while away at a conference.  Within five minutes of her driving away, I used my roommate’s phone to call her to ask if she would mind returning to the hotel so I could retrieve my phone.  I was shocked that she said, “no”.  I asked if she could let me know where I could come to pick it up and again, she said, “no”.  She wouldn’t agree to any path that would permit me to get my phone back.  I was outraged.  But more than that, I couldn’t figure out how I would function without that phone. It was as though my very life depended on my possession of that phone.  In the dream I began to plot every method possible to get my phone back without the help of this unreasonable person.  As dreams go, while on a freeway chase in pursuit of my phone, there was a plane crash and I woke up immediately.  I was actually relieved to realize that this was only a dream and there was no plane crash and my phone was safely charging beside my bed.

I am totally reliant on my phone.  I use it for email, social media, scheduling meetings and appointments, taking notes, phone calls, text messages, directions, shopping, depositing checks, games and entertainment, Fitbit tracking, taking pictures, checking the weather, finding and following recipes,  internet searches, reading my Kindle, grocery lists, practicing Spanish, calculating, reminders, alarms, timers, flashlight, and news updates.  If it can be done on a phone, I’m pretty much doing it.  No wonder I was panicked.

My other dream had to do with trying to escape the unknown entities who were spying on me in my own home.   One of my Christmas gifts to myself was the purchase of two Amazon ECHOS.  They are listening.  I usually just ask them where my stuff is and they tell me.  I realize that these are clearly under-utilized devices destined to collect dust like my I-pad, Kindle, portable DVD player, camera, I-pod, CD player and tape recorder.  In my dream, I kept searching for places without success where I could speak freely without being overheard.  I was whispering and dragging my husband around by the hand to far corners, but none seemed to be private as the Echo kept responding, “I can hear you”.

The point is, I like technology, but I’m also a little bit scared of it.  There’s a children’s television show that comes on Saturday mornings at 7am on CBS, titled, “The Henry Ford’s Innovation Nation” hosted by Mo Rocca.  I love the way the show spotlights all the new technology being introduced. Admittedly, it excites me because I’m thrilled by the dynamics of change and improved efficiency.  However, there is a downside as my dreams pointed out to me.  There is also a challenge to our society that we will soon have to face.

There’s a book titled, “The End of Work” by Jeremy Rifkin that highlights how artificial intelligence and machines will one day put an end to most kinds of work.  We can already imagine how self-driving cars will replace people who make their  living driving cars and trucks.  We already have self-check lines at stores and it won’t be long before a robot will be serving food at local restaurants.  The question is whether this is the future we want for ourselves? Will the turning over of repetitive tasks and greater efficiency free our minds and bodies to do even greater things?  Will work for pay be such a thing of the past that we will all granted a governmental stipend to live on?

I doubt I’ll be around to see all of this, but perhaps my children and grandchildren will.  For now, I have to learn to live with and grapple with the trust issues I have with the technology I have at my finger tips today.