As I check my pockets for my two cents this week, I find myself perplexed. I have covered the growth of technology professionally for nearly five years, but I didn’t realize until recently just how obsessed we’ve become with it.

Our smartphones, iPods, PDAs and satellite radios are wonderful toys, and they make our lives much more enjoyable, but I have to ask a question: Is it really necessary for Mary to text Stacy about her boyfriend's new tattoo on his left butt cheek while she’s doing 80 MPH down the interstate? 

Oh, and you, Mister Business Professional: You multitask between your PDA, mobile phone, and mobile fax, completely oblivious to the fact that there is a ten-thousand pound ambulance behind you, lights and sirens ablaze, trying desperately to get you to pull over. If that’s not bad enough, as they pass by, you flip them off to let them know how much you’ve been inconvenienced. True story.

The sad fact is that we suffer from a debilitating disorder called ATD, or Addictive Technology Disorder. The individual becomes so attached to technology that his awareness of the environment around him shrinks until he is virtually enclosed within a large bubble. By then he becomes completely oblivious to his surroundings.

I too have suffered from this disorder, juggling my PDA and cell phone and channel surfing the satellite radio while my car somehow manages to drive itself. It was a sad time, but I found a cure. It's called Common Sense. Most of us already possess it; we just choose not to use it.

I know, maybe I’m being a little hard on the Beaver this week, but isn’t it about time we started thinking about how our actions affect others? Did you know that technology related auto accidents are up nearly 300% in the last two years? States all over the country have banned the use of cell phone and other technologies while driving, and other states like Colorado are studying the issue.

Ironically, there are numerous technological solutions that can help minimize the distractions. Blue Tooth wireless headsets for cell phones allow you to talk hands free. Voice activation technology has come a long way in the last few years, and companies like Ford are GM are making this a standard feature in many 2008 models.

The bottom line is that if we don’t start using our technology responsibly, Big Brother will find a way to legislate it right into the ground, and none of us want that. So, use the cure, and be considerate of those around you.

And please, don’t tell me about any new tattoos.

Mark Rees
Senor Editor-Tech Savvy the Magazine

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