My Relationship with Technology

The topic of this post is to "discuss the technology you use in your every day life."

I'll start with a device that I've used since I was a child - the desktop computer.

My interest in computers began when I was a child. My cousin was older and in his teens when I used to visit them often. He owned a desktop computer and would play video games and talk to other gamers through his headset. As we grew older, he began customising the computer, adding in new components, changing the casing and eventually adding advanced features such as water cooling to keep the temperatures down of the high performance parts.

When I was old enough, my parents bought a computer and I began joining in with my cousin and his friends playing games. Then as I got to secondary school, it became a tool for socialising with my friends. I lived quite a few miles away from the school where as  most of my friends were quite local, so we would chat using instant messaging applications and would organise our weekends out.

I've always been quite an inquisitive child, so naturally I started to tinker with the computer and the technologies that made the system work. I took an interest in web design, picking up my first 'teach yourself' book and learning how to code a very basic website. This was during the early 2000's when a plethora of website had popped up to join the dot-com bubble. Learning how to code was probably the first time I had taken an interest in a subject and taught myself how it worked. Thinking back, it gave me a sense of empowerment - I could teach myself and didn't have to rely on being spoon fed information. My new found skill of web design led to a number of personal projects that I ran with friends over the years and allowed me to participate in various online communities.

Another important skill that I picked up was graphic design. I studied art whilst at secondary school and used the computer as a tool for researching various artists and compiling imagery to use as case studies. Through the online communities I was a part of I gained exposure to Adobe Photoshop, a popular image editing application. I would create imagery that I used as a 'signature' for online forums as well as taking part in group of users that would offer services to design such signatures for other users who weren't skilled in graphic design. This skill also fed into my web design where I improved the graphics the websites I was creating and learnt to appreciate aesthetics as well as functionality. I would later go on to design a logo, business cards and other imagery for my father's business.

More recently, a new wave of amazing technology has allowed mobile devices to be a presence in almost everyone's daily life. I use my smartphone multiple times a day to keep in touch with colleagues, friends and family through social media as well as to keep track of my finances without having to visit the bank or be at home to use my desktop computer.

During my studies at university I owned a laptop that provided me with a way to store my documents while still having the processing power to run application relevant to my course such as circuit simulators, real-time graphing displays and of course, word processing suites. My presentations were powered by my laptop where I also used a wireless remote control that enhanced my presence during the Viva, without restricting me to standing at the side of the laptop to switch to the next slide.

Also whilst at university, I made use of various online cloud storage and document editing services. One instance in particular was during a group project that required us to track our progress and present our findings at the end of the year. I chose one such service for our group that allowed us to work on the same document simultaneously and provided a chat feature at the side of the browser so that we could discuss the changes we were making in real-time and that everyone else involved in the session could see as they were being made. I found this particularly powerful as nobody lived near each other and it allowed us to communicate as if we were in the same room. Another feature of the service that we never utilised was video conferencing, which would have added to the experience by actually being able to see and hear each other whilst editing the documents.

To conclude, technology has had a massive impact on my life providing me with a portal to access an almost unlimited amount of information on almost any topic I choose. The rise of online encyclopaedias and search engines mean that anyone with access to a computer can learn something new should they wish to do so. Mobile devices have enabled us to continue the work we may have carried out at a desktop computer whilst we travel and we are no longer bound to a desk. Teachers in particular can now interact with their students without being bound by limitations of older technology.

Technology is a tool that, if used responsibly, can break down social barriers and empower future generations to learn and create.