Technology has opened up a plethora of different worlds to us that were invisible to our eyes before. We can now do things that simply weren’t possible before. Two decades ago, nobody could have said with certainty just how popular the internet and social networking sites would be in a little time. We live in a world so interconnected that there is almost nothing that we do not have access to. You can simply pull out your Smartphone device, type in a few keywords about your query into the search bar, and voila! You have millions of results on your service, waiting to be read, analyzed, and used wherever you wish.
But while technological advancement has improved our lives in many ways and aspects, including contributions to the medical, social, business, and industrial fields, there are still doubts about its place in our society. Many people believe that technology has become so ingrained in our lives and lifestyles to the point that it has become excessive and may just become a nuance sooner than we are able to realize. One of the very popular topics of discussion and dispute when it comes to technology and its impact on human life and society is its role in either increasing or decreasing our imagination and creative capabilities. While we are on the verge of tremendous scientific and technological development, it still seems as if our minds have been trapped inside the four walls of our computers and Smartphones. So, is technology trumping our ability to imagine, think, and create?
The Death Of The Unknown By The Hands Of The Known
The truth is that excessive access to technology and every possible information is indeed playing a role in trumping our creative capabilities. The reason being that whenever a thought pops into our minds which treads in the waters of the completely or even the slightly unknown, we immediately choose to Google it or search about it to find out whether or not it is possible rather than giving the idea two minutes to mull over.
How many times have you found yourself thinking of what could be a possibility regarding anything in this world and felt your hands immediately reaching for your Smartphone in your pocket so you could run a quick search about it?
I would bet multiple times, like any of the individuals who live in this time and age. While I agree that the facility of having all kinds of knowledge and information at your expense, just one click away, is largely convenient in many scenarios. But when it comes to our imagination and creativity, it is deadly.
You may argue that knowing if your idea coming to fruition is logically possible or whether it already exists or not in the world right off the bat helps to save time and direct the direction of your thought process, you must also identify that it takes away the opportunity for you to think for yourself. Even letting an idea sit in your mind for a little while can open up new pages of possibilities and ideas that may not have occurred to you before. And let’s be honest, as idea after idea of yours keeps getting turned down by the internet, you eventually feel inclined to simply give up on creating and imagining at that moment at all. And that is when the death of the unknown occurs by the hands of the known.
With unlimited access to all sorts of technology, we find the hunger of our curiosities to be cured as soon as they arise, we feel the gears in our minds turn off as we see the possibility of a simple ‘copy & paste’, and we begin to wait for the small group of god-like, unknown superhumans who actually do, discover, create, and share so we can find something to chew on.
Let Us Reinvent
Nobody is saying that technology is a big, fat reincarnation of the devil. It has made our lives simpler and better and is undoubtedly here to stay. But for the sake of your mind, let your thoughts wander when they do instead of trumping them down with a Google search. Let your hunger for curiosity grows and the tree of ideas take home in the confines of your brain. Instead of letting your phone shut your imagination in a box, turn it off and set it free, for imagination is, indeed, better than knowledge.