Why I've developed a very strong dislike for iPads. And realized how convenient they are.

In my job at the library, I am the sole person in charge of the iPad checkout program. This means I keep track of the signed loan agreements, I keep the iPads clean and in good condition, and I wipe and refresh the iPads in preparation for the next checkout. And some days, iPads make me want to scream.
I have never really worked with technology, other than my own iPhone and laptop, which I honestly don't really know anything about. Yet, when I started this job they just threw is at me and and said, "Good luck figuring out Apple products. MWAHAHAHA." No one else knew how to work the program, so they just gave it to me and ran.
I've decided that my main problem with Apple is that they are so simplified and "user friendly" that when there is a problem with a device, then it is impossible to expose the main issue.

I have student employees come ask me questions about how to fix the iPads , and my answer is always a chuckle and "I don't know..." They think I know all the stuff, but in reality I just play around with it until it works and I have no idea what I actually did. And some days I have a line up of multiple iPads that all have different problems that I need to fix and the students just laugh at me because I get so flustered.

Having said all of this, I think iPads, or any tablets really, are a genius bit of useful technology. I always felt that tablets were just useless because between a smart phone and a laptop, why would I need another piece of technology that does the exact same thing. But iPads are so much more convenient than laptops. I've even considered just getting a tablet with a keyboard when my laptop finally dies. Maybe not an iPad... but some sort of tablet.

I've become reminiscent about my adventures with the library iPads because Friday is my last day at the library. I am training one of the students how to troubleshoot the iPads and he's realizing that I really have no idea what I'm doing with them. He asks questions and I give him multiple options that I've tried in my attempt to fix the problem. It's always nice when someone finally appreciates the fact that I'm just make it up when asked for help.

Technology

So... it's been a while. I don't think I've ever gone this long without blogging. But I'm back! December flashed by and so has half of January. I'm into a new semester and I love school. I've just developed this love of thinking and analyzing, and that is what this post is all about. Enjoy!

I am having a really hard time focusing in the library. Want to know why? Because this world is so individualized and privatized. I look around the library and I just see people all in their own little electronic worlds – on their laptops, cell phones, and head phones. Everyone has so many ways of accessing what others are doing and saying on the internet, but they don’t know anything about them personally. They know them on facebook, twitter, spotify, instagram, blogs, online games, and through texting, but they don’t know the real person. There are some things that just can not be expressed in any way except in person. Some emotions can not be portrayed through texting, no matter how many different smiley, frowny, or winky faces you use. When your main form of communication and socializing is through electronics, you lose a sense of reality. I also feel like you can lose a sense of trust, because these aren’t just spoken words… these are words that have been put into text and can be preserved forever and shared with anyone.

I’m not saying that technology is a bad thing. Oh, I am not saying that at all! But I am saying that when it starts to interfere with normal, everyday communication, then it definitely can be. Or when it becomes your main form of communication. I’ve seen too many situations where someone is with a group of friends physically, but they mentally are not there. They are just on their phone texting someone else or even playing a game, showing that the current situation is not important enough for their attention. This is not okay.

Humans crave personal, human interaction. It is in our nature. But then we go and lose the substance of the interaction by getting caught up on our electronics. It’s a vicious cycle. Some people get depressed because they do not interact in a significant way with others as much as they would like, but then they do things that inhibit any such action from occurring. Technology in some ways seems to be slowly making us completely disconnected from one another. And this is not okay.
So just some words of advice: put it down, turn it off, unplug it. Not always, but occasionally. Just take a break from technology and really enjoy the world. Go have a real conversation with some you care about... Or have a real conversation with some one you hardly know and maybe they can become a great friend. Technology is a blessing and makes life so much easier and more convenient, but it shouldn't be a hinderance or take over your life. Let's not forget to be humans.