Jordan Hutson Blog 1

I remember a time when technology didn't consume lives. When you had the most fun going outside with your friends to play and that was all you needed to keep yourself happy and occupied. As time progressed, so did technology. My Gameboy color became a Gameboy advanced, My Sega Genesis became a Play Station, and my cable television went digital. I saw myself spending less time outside and more time inside occupied with my games, or TV, or my phone. I saw myself worrying less about how great this technology is to have and more on how it’s becoming obsolete and I need to upgrade. And it wasn't just me. My friends had to have the newest phone and they needed to play the newest game as soon as it came out as if they could achieve something by being one of the first ones to play.  As technology advances so does the need to attain it. We as a society almost compete with each other to have the best and therefore be the best. For example the iPhone 6 was just announced the other day, everyone went crazy on social media about it critiquing it, and how much money they'll need to save to get it as soon as its released. My roommate stayed up till 3am just to preorder one even though he has a perfectly functioning iPhone 5. It seemed a little silly to me but I didn't blame him. If I could afford to, I'd do the same.


I've tend to notice a trend looking back from when I first delved into technology to where I am today. I've noticed that when I first got my cell phone I was in 9th grade, five years after I originally wanted one, but since then I've had two more doubling in the same amount of time, I also plan on using my upgrade in 2 months so it will be 3 phones in that span. I see a trend not just in phones but in all technology. It becomes obsolete quicker and quicker it seems like. When apple comes out with the newest iPhone, only a few months later and there's a new galaxy or android that is quote "better than the iPhone" and many people believe it to be, so they'll buy it. Same with gaming systems and iPods but gaming systems normally take longer to produce and iPods are pretty much obsolete at this point. I wonder what causes these advance to take place so quickly other than to compete for owning the 'best" technology. I know for a fact it's a simple way to keep a good cash flow with these companies as well as the government, because if you think about it if these companies tried hard enough and put in enough effort they could produce a smart phone that doesn't crack after dropping it one time and produce a lock button that doesn't stop working. They don't though, one because they would need to use more money to make it which is a big no-no, plus then we as primary buyers wouldn't need to upgrade as often. They price these phones at $300 and $400 dollars when it costs about half that. An iPhone 5 cost roughly 167.50 to make, yet they sell it for no cheaper than $200, or at least they did when it came out, plus that doesn't include the billing plan. I think we as a society like the fact that things constantly become obsolete because even after some of the crazy prices we still want what can help us do the most, the easiest. So, yes technology will continue down the path of updating sooner and becoming obsolete quicker, its what we do, and I don't think there is anything truly wrong with that. I do think that we need to find some uses for the obsolete technology possibly donating it to the Salvation Army or simply recycling it so its  not a complete waste, but other than that I don't see a problem with how fast paced technology has become.