Hussein Shobokshi Technology is impacting our lives. This phrase has become an old and tired cliché. However, this is very true indeed. I am a living proof of this. I love pens, adore watches and live for books. These three items have been heading for extinction at the speed of light. Pens are dead; hardly anyone uses them anymore. People would rather “text” on their mobile phones rather than write on a piece of paper. Watches? Who wears them anymore! People would rather tell the time, again, by checking their mobile devices with their available built-in clocks. Watches, if any, are for being a status symbol or as a jewelry item, not as a time telling device for the new generation at any rate. As far as books are concerned, bookshops are closing all over the world at an alarming rate. More and more people, particularly the younger generation, are opting to use their mobile devices to read the electronic versions of the books. It is a sad but amazing reality. I am a living proof of how the invention of the late Steve Jobs has indeed had an explosive impact on my life and hobbies. The invention of the smart IPhone and its ilk continue to stun and amaze its users with many more surprises promised on the way with its impact on health, time management, education and many other domains. The mobile phone seems to be the great transformer in society today exceeding the impact of the car, the airplane and the printing machine. And at different stages behave in the different examples of human social development. There are promises to be expected by technology. The ultimate question is at what social price would this technology extract. And how are we going to pay it? A valid question indeed!
