Technobiography

Upon receiving this assignment I had to ponder for quite some time as to the role technology played in my life as I was growing up. Interestingly my first thought was that it played none. After some further thinking I realized that my inclination that it played no role is only because many of the technological components of my younger years are so outdated today that I don’t even consider them technology anymore. It is a great example though of how quick technology changes and things become outdated.

Having said that, the first thought that comes to mind is my original Nintendo game system I received from my grandfather in second grade. Hours upon hours I enjoyed playing duck hunt and paperboy. If it hadn’t been for my Nintendo I would have gotten into a lot more trouble as a child when my parents weren’t home. About a year later, my grandfather then gave me a gameboy. During my young elementary school days I don’t recall using technology much in school. For the most part, at this point, technology for me was more about enhancing my play time. At the beginning of middle school I became more aware of technology when I got a pager. By the time I got one, most of my friends already had them. I had longed for a pager and the ability it gave me to communicate with my friends. In high school computers were now common place. Our school was stocked with Apple computers. Most classes had one, while some classes that utilized more typing in assignments usually had half a dozen. We were allotted class time to do research and type up reports. We even had some lessons in keyboarding and how to do good online research.

Once I left home my interactions with technology shifted. I got a cell phone, a laptop, stereo equipment, and an electronic dictionary. My use of technology became more functional and less entertaining. Within a year or two of living on my own I was making online purchases and downloading songs from the internet. Often, I’m quick to say society is too dependent on technology, and in many ways we are. In reflecting like this though, I see how much convenience and opportunity technology has afforded me. I don’t think I ever want to return to the days of using a pager or go back to using cassette tapes. - John Wagner