Today, it seems that everybody around me has a smart phone, an iPad or something else that acts like a laptop.

These devices can do almost anything imaginable, which can be incredibly helpful. With that being said, I think we rely on these devices entirely too much in our daily lives.

With the amount of technology accessible, it is easy to get lost in the desire to own one of these devices. These products are marketed to make someone’s life more tolerable than if he/she did not possess one. For example, the new iPhone 5 commercials market its phone as being self-conscious of the noise around you, making phone calls easier to hear in loud conditions. Do not get me wrong — these improvements are much appreciated, but having a device with the capability of completing almost any task imaginable will affect the future.

If technology continues to be relied on the way it is today, we will become a generation of people who, generally speaking, cannot think for themselves. These devices can now complete tasks that we should already have common knowledge of how to do. Maybe phone companies implement this into their products for convenience or maybe the general population is lazy and does not want to think for themselves. Either way, it is time for a change.

I might feel this way because, compared to the rest of the world, I am living in a modern day stone age when it comes to technology. My phone barely has the ability to call people, and it struggles to get reception in areas that it should easily do so. Personally, I hate my phone.

Reliance on technology has also created the idea that we cannot live without it. I know plenty of people who feel naked without their phone in the pocket. I understand that these phones can literally hold your entire social life in its memory card, but I still do not understand why people create so much unnecessary value for their phone. At the end of the day, it is just a phone.

Human interaction has also changed because of technology. Everybody is now texting, Facebooking or tweeting each other. Messages over social media and text messaging can easily be misconstrued because there is no face-to-face interaction. I am generally a sarcastic person — sarcasm and text messaging mix about as well as oil and water.

The feeling of always being “connected” seems unimportant to me. Technology definitely has benefited society more than it has destroyed it, but I believe people put too much value on something that is trivial. I think people have become lazy and do not want to think for themselves.Companies are taking advantage of this by creating products that allow people to completely shut down intellectually. How far is this going to go? Is there going to be a point in time where human thought and action will become completely eradicated? I sure hope not.

Chris is a sophomore English major. Questions or comments regarding his column can be sent to: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .