Digital Dependency

Just recently I suffered from a digital disaster that was the cause of a short-lived very temporary break down. I was minutes away from completing a presentation then all of a sudden my laptop’s performance began to slow. The mouse was less responsive and it took a considerable amount of time to toggle between applications. Next, the anticipated outcome occurred, a complete performance freeze.

Initially I kept a cool head and assumed the customary system reboot would solve the problem. I rebooted and rebooted, then rebooted again. Finally I realized that expecting a new result was insane behavior so I called the IT support desk.

The technician came to my desk, and once again rebooted the machine, despite the fact that I told him I had already done so SEVERAL times. “Doesn’t look good,” he replied. “Not exactly new information,” I thought to myself, and certainly not the response I wanted to hear. Anyway, he took my machine away to be repaired, and shortly after the second breakdown occurred. My Blackberry (aka second lifeline), began behaving badly. Suddenly I felt completely helpless… useless…worthless to society. My entire existence was being challenged.

True indeed this is irrational thinking that I immediately had to snap out of. In reflection, I asked myself, “How did we survive prior decades without the luxury of such items?” The idea of leaving my house without a mobile phone is unthinkable. Working out at the gym without a MP3 player? Impossible. This digital dependency cannot be healthy and I imagine that books and 12-step programs will be established in the future, if not already.

Don’t let a digital disaster cause you distress. If your laptop’s hard drive crashes like mine, emotionally you don’t have to follow suit. Life goes on without the convenience of cell phones, laptops, PDAs and MP3 players….I think.

Stay cool and stay connected!