The comic above is from the incredibly influential comic strip Calvin and Hobbes. Originally published in 1995, this comic shows Calvin’s Dad (modeled after the writer and artist of Calvin and Hobbes, Bill Watterson) lamenting how all of his new information age tools have simply increased what is expected of him.
As you know from our readings and lecture this week, workers in the computer game industry face similar challenges. Frankly, we all do. It wasn’t that many years ago — in the grand scheme of things, at least — that you would have had to come to office hours if you wanted to talk to me. There was no expectation of me answering e-mails, getting text messages, etc. For you, there was no expectation that you would turn in work anywhere but class or that you’d do research anywhere but the library.
For many of us, our phones have e-mail access and text access basically all the time. The expectation is that we will be available much more often because of it. That has led, at least for some people, to a lessening of their quality of life and the shrinking of their private lives as their professional lives have colonized their private time.
With that in mind. I’m asking you to consider what might end up being a very hard question: What Information Age technology might your life be better without?
It could be e-mail, a smartphone, Skype, a social media account, your computer, etc. Maybe its a specific program or even just a feature of a product you use. How would your life change, for both good and for ill, without this technology? What’s keeping you from getting rid of it now?
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