The rapid acceleration of new technology is overwhelming, and even though it is generally considered beneficial, especially for our aging population, I for one have some serious doubts.
Very soon you will be speaking your wants; no tapping of the cell phone or looking for the correct app. Speaker devices which are voice-controlled helpers are already available. There is Apple’s Siri, Microsoft’s Cortana and Amazon’s Alexa, the latter a personal helper which already has over 5,000 skills.
With a simple voice command, you can pay your bills, get the news, have your refrigerator order whatever is running low directly from the supermarket, and turn your heat on and off. But of course, in order to hear you, these devices must always be listening.
If, like me, you sometimes talk aloud to yourself in an effort to remember what to do next or what you went into the bedroom to retrieve, you could end up being stalked by your own household appliances. Remember the movie “2001: A Space Odyssey” in which Hal, the homicidal computer, learns of the astronauts’ plan to unplug him by lip-reading their conversation?
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I am already intimidated by phones and computers because I am dependent on them without understanding how to fix them when things go wrong. Do I really want to become dependent on “household helpers” that are way smarter than I am?
An article in the Guardian featured a new gizmo called a SWON, which connects to your shower head and can pre-set the shower time, temperature and keep track of the amount of water used and cost in utility bills. But the article pointed out that it is an “internet of things” device, which means it is connected to your home’s Wi-Fi network, which is vulnerable to hacking.
Russian agents could be listening to what you are singing in the shower!
A British app, “Howz,” monitors everyday electrical devices in homes of the elderly, but so far has not proved very popular. It seems that British consumers are less comfortable talking to smart devices and more careful of privacy than us Americans.
Meanwhile in France, a cheating Frenchman is suing Uber because his wife found out about his extra-marital trips booked through the car service. Right now, a Chinese company called Ling Long just released its version of Alexa, known as Ling Long’s Ding Dong. (Honest, I didn’t make this up!)
Certainly with many countries facing an ever-increasing aging population, it is comforting to think of devices that will help the house look after us in our old age. But if there is anything we should be aware of by now it is that there is always a trade-off. The more we are dependent on technology, the less we need or interact with other human beings. The result is we lessen our social, cultural and spiritual natures.
We need to do some serious thinking about how we can be helped by technology without having it completely define our lives. Right now I am beginning to question the need, as well as the cost, of several devices that I already own and I intend to give long and serious thought before purchasing any other new technology.
“To err is human but to really foul things up, you need a computer.” — Paul Ehrich
Contact Jean Cherni, senior adviser for Premier Transitions, a full-service program for seniors contemplating a move, at [email protected] or 49 Rose St., Apt. 510, Branford, 06405.
