Much is made in certain circles about the simplicity or elegance of a certain body of software code or a well-designed GUI. The most successful websites are often the simplest to use and look at (e.g., craigslist.org, google.com, etc.). I think I’m not off in saying that a large part of the goal of technology is simplicity.
So let me pose this question for the public, specifically about the internet: Does the internet make your life more or less “simple”?
I think it’s a great leveler – so yes, it makes life simpler. For example, if you’re going some place new, you don’t have to wonder if you’ve bought a map for that area — you just look it up on Google maps. If you aren’t good at negotiating car prices — just look up the price on the web. If you want to have a party and don’t want to spend forever calling people, there’s Evite. If you lack social skills, no worries, there’s instant messaging and Facebook.On the other hand, technology is also a huge unleveler. Those that are clever can do a lot more with it than those that are not, and make tons of money. Unleveling technologies are complex if your goal is to rise to the top (which mine is). So there are really two types of technology: leveling ones and unleveling ones. The internet, depending on which aspect of it you look at, is both.
“lazy” is the better term . . . so what are your plans after your M.Div?