Abdicatechnology
I’ve been thinking about something lately. What do you call it when you voluntarily give up control of some piece of your life, because technology makes it easier? For example:
- Automatic transmission cars. Give up a little control, gain a little less to worry about.
- Email filters. Save me from spam, even if it’s not always perfect.
- TiVo. Perfect example. Just tape stuff you think I’ll like, ok?
There are more examples every day. In a way, the march of technology is all about the speed at which it takes over the little things we used to do ourselves. Personally, I remember having to take my own messages, have computers and phones tied to land lines, and look up information in card catalogs. I wonder what things I do now that someday some new technology will do for me?
What do you think the phenomenon should be called?
