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Published on August 26, 2007

Cats says

The increasing development and use of modern technology has made us very reliant upon new gadgets, making them quite indispensable to the majority of us.

I bought my first mobile phone 10 years ago. Prior to that I used to have a pager. Before I had children I never thought any of this was necessary. I can't say having a pager transformed my life - it was purely a necessity when my son was a baby. However, having a mobile phone completely changed my life. I am definitely the type of person who likes to stay in touch with friends and family and the mobile phone has allowed me to be more sociable.

Unfortunately, unlike my children's generation who are born into this technological world, I am still slow at getting used to all the new, complicated and smart inventions. I've had a phone for two years now, and I still haven't worked out how to use all the functions. I got into terrible trouble when I left my Bluetooth on picking up four viruses, which sent out embarrassing text messages to all in my address book. I can't even log on to the Internet through the phone, the technology is too difficult for me!

Apart from the complete necessity of having a mobile phone to communicate, it has also become essential as an accessory for many of us. Have you seen the latest phone from Prada? Every self-respecting style icon should own one.

You may not believe this, but I only know one person of my generation who still doesn't use a mobile phone, and it drives his wife crazy. Other old-fashioned types believe that the mobile phone is an invasion of privacy, and that not all information needs to be updated continually so that when you sit down with your family or friends you have still something left to say.

However, most of us would admit freely that we can't live without e-mails and the Net nowadays. The new generation will probably be able to say "Google" before they start gurgling! Even the older generation is relying on e-mails instead of snail mail. Computers are practically running our lives.

Thanks to Skype, people around the world can now talk for free through computers. When I was a child I used to imagine that one day we would be able to see the person we were talking to on the phone. In the early '70s, it was unthinkable that such an idea would ever become a reality, but now talking to friends and family via Skype with a webcam is something we can all enjoy doing these days.

Another instrument that has taken over our lives is the iPod. I joined the iPod brigade last year, but I still haven't been able to work out how to use it properly, finding it hard to keep up with new trends. But, since these trends are here to stay I've learned to rely upon my children for help.

 

Nat says

 I remember living without a phone. I know it                                                     sounds strange that we didn't have one, especially with the universal phone coverage Thailand has nowadays. But things were, indeed, different. This was as recent as the mid-1980s.

It wasn't that we were deprived. Nor was my family unreasonably careful with money. It's just that, at one point, phone lines in Bangkok were scarce and having a private one was considered an unnecessary luxury. We made do with the phone at my grandparents' house and, whenever a friend wanted to speak to me, he was more likely to get hold of me at the Sports Club. It wasn't particularly inconvenient. No one else had private phones either.

I recall the scepticism when we were told that every home would one day have a computer. Not only were we doubtful that such technology would ever reach Thailand, but why would anyone need a computer at home? No one foresaw the days of digital bookkeeping or online shopping.

We relied on servants. Who'd have thought they'd find better paying jobs in factories? Nor did I think I'd ever need a computer. That was in the 1970s.

Nowadays, I find myself surrounded by technology that I never thought I'd need, but can't live without. When something as basic as a landline becomes obsolete due to cellular technology, I am amazed at how far we've come.

In a way, we were more considerate of each other back then. Friends once hesitated to call and cancel a dinner engagement for fear of disturbing my grandparents. Since there was no way to contact someone, we made sure we showed up for our appointments, even when we'd rather stay home and watch TV. But back then we probably didn't want to watch TV because there were only three channels and they were all showing the same news programme.

Now that I can be contacted any time, people have no compunction about ringing at the last minute to flake out on an appointment. I can't imagine what my teenage life would have been like had friends been able to ring and cancel on me.

And don't tell me that the PC I upgraded to 1-gigabyte last year is obsolete. Apparently Apple Macs with 2-gigabyte RAMs are all the rage because they make life so much easier.

Easier? Now that we have mobile phones, SMS, videoconferencing and Blackberries, it only seems to make life more difficult because we can pull out of appointments whenever we want. On the other hand, not only are we expected to be available at all times, we are expected to do more with the time we have.

Sometimes I long for the days when no one could get hold of me.

But then I admit that all this technology has made life more convenient if not easier. It may only have been about ten years ago that I got my first mobile phone, but text messaging has become indispensable, saving me time and probably money.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not advocating a return to life without phones or cable TV. I'm just amazed at how I've come to rely on all these things that, only just recently, seemed superfluous. I can't wait to see what my needs will be in ten years' time.

Want an opinion on something? Cat and Nat can be contacted at

NnaSWild@aol.com.