The technology addict

 

In a society where technological devices such as iPhones, iPads and Blackberrys are prevalent in every day life, there has arisen a new breed of human: the technology addict.

Recent research from Search Office Space reveals that more than 85% of office workers in London own an iPhone or a Blackberry, with a further 70% admitting a love-affair with their iPad.

I caught up with the Chief Operating Officer at SOS, Jon Posener, who admits feelings of ‘loss’ when separated from his iPad or phone. ‘When it comes to my iPad, it is always within easy reach. I use it frequently to keep up to date with the world or keep in contact with my friends, and if someone were to attempt to remove my iPhone from my presence, I genuinely think I might experience withdrawal symptoms!’

Whilst technology devices such as these are proven to be extremely useful in the work place, the question is posed as to whether lines between personal life and work life are becoming blurred. The ease at which the average office worker can receive and access work emails on their phone means that it is very difficult to escape from the workplace.

Jon is living proof of this, as many a time I have come into the office at 9am only to find work-related emails from him outside of work hours, which end with the automatic Apple strapline, ‘Sent from my iPhone’.

So when has a technology addiction gone too far? In my opinion, the line has been crossed when I hear my colleague on the phone spelling out a name and replacing the conventional ‘a for apple, f for Freddie’ with' ‘i for iPhone’.

I believe that while technology can benefit us in our every day lives, it is necessary to find a balance between technology and ‘real life’. This can take real determination, but in the words of Ulrich Weger, a lecturer at the University of Kent who has conducted his own research into technology addiction, ‘if you do not cultivate this inner strength and freedom, you become the slave."