There is a reason why the BlackBerry has been nicknamed the "CrackBerry". It is addictive, invasive and anti-social just like all the electionic devices in our lives. (BlackBerry, Treo, Razr: A Plague on all of you)Technology is an obsessive mother who never wants her children to grow up into the real world; It makes tasks easy and information accessible, but yet, it keeps modern homo sapiens (ironically, it's creators) away from the real, solid world. The essay BlackBerry, Treo, Razr: A Plague on all of you and the illustration IsolationTech, shares a common theme about social isolation from technology. Technology separates humans from the people around them. That is, real life people whom they share real life bonds and relationships with. "...technological devices that add degrees of separation between us and the people around us." (sugar-tongue, artist of IsolationTech) Cell phones are a good example of technology which is"...anti-social just like all the electronic devices in our lives." (BlackBerry, Treo, Razr: A Plague on all of you) Many people are isolated from real life, as new generations are being sucked into the online world. Even though online bonding is commonly found today, real life relationships still plays the major role on an individual's happiness. The depressed-looking bald man surrounded by the technological wall represents an article the artist read about relating to a research on how "...the average middle-aged American only has 2 close friend in which they feel they can confide..."(sugar-tongue, IsolationTech) This decreasing of happiness from relationships occur for not only the user, but also to the people around them. "...one woman who caught her husband e-mailing under the table during their Valentine's Day dinner..." (BlackBerry, Treo, Razr: A Plague on all of you) Misunderstanding and trust problems could easily be on the rise due to technological advances. Individuals cut themselves out of the real world, because of severing communication to others. The man in IsolationTech looks very much alone, separated from anything outside of that massive circle of technology. Whereas many electronic devices try to promote multi-tasking, when in reality, "It is impossible to multi-task while parenting or trying to relate to other people."(BlackBerry, Treo, Razr: A Plague on all of you) Technology can act like a wall to separate people even if they are close by physically. The overall large influence society as taken from technology may be seen as a positive one by many people. But as individuals, their relationships are severed, and people are not as happy as one would imagine them to be. Many people realize these unwell factors which technology tolls on their lives. Most of them chose to ignore it or play optimistic and look at the advantages over the disadvantages. Technology is an intelligence created by homo sapiens, but they should not let it over run them like a fictional movie where the robots take over mankind. People should focus more on real life bonds and relationships if their values and morals are still 'humane'.
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