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Reporting Adventure

When my iPhone died twice in one day leaving my security and social life in limbo I decided this is the perfect Adventure Report topic. I did not choose the topic the topic chose me. My phone during the day had become overheated, causing the battery to drain, leaving it dead within the hour. Without my precious device I had lost my memory, sense of direction, connection to the outside world, and communication with friends and family. All of the things lost are evolutionary traits of humans that now technology is substituting to make our lives easier and simpler.

During the morning of Friday, September, 2010 I used my phone while searching for information, people, and dates of events. At the Theta Xi house I was asked questions about current and former brothers and the only connection I had to the wealth of information on the internet was my Smartphone. It is just so simple to be able to take a computer out of your pocket turn it on in an instant and access the internet with a touch of my thumb. At times common knowledge information becomes forgotten because of the simplicity of a Google search.

Meeting new faces and remembering new names is a skill all humans but I chose to outsource the duty to my iPhone. When I meet a new brother for the first time I first type a new note with his name, a trait of remembrance, and some contact information. Then I find the composite and photograph his picture. My memory is slowly being replaced with that of my iPhone. As my phone died I completely lost connection with my notes of my interactions. I then have no reference to find a name or face. We can rely on technology for storage information that can recalled at need. The simplicity of pocket computers allows our minds to work less and our fingers to work more.

As the day gained speed my phone began to die, by 1 o’clock it was dead as a door nail. During class without my special device I couldn’t communicate with my loved ones and friends. I posted a “My phone is dead” statement on Facebook to “alert” the world to my sudden loss of connectivity. If I was required to reply to any text or email sent after that point the sender would be confused as to why I hadn’t responded within ten minutes of the message being sent.

When the group left for the game the directions had already been accessed online for the drive over to Turner Field. As we drove the traffic was increasingly thickening and we wished to get to the game within the hour. So almost on instinct I remove my phone and tried to start the MapQuest app but wait the phone is dead. Now my party and I have no alternative directions that previously would have been instantly provided to my palm in the blink of an eye. We had almost lost our evolutionary skills of navigation and we had lost of sense of direction. The overly technology based forms of navigation have cause us as humans to forget how to find our way. Not even one hundred years ago the navigators of the seas used the stars and a compass to find their way. But in our modern society we allow the technology of our creation do the simple tasks we wish no to learn or attempt.

Before I was enabled with connection and without my iPhone my life was different. No instant gratification of information from the internet. No communication through email and texts. No instant storage of thoughts and personal contact information. No driving or walking directions to any location in the Atlanta. Our reliance on technology and Smartphone’s have caused humans to lose certain basic evolutionary skills.

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