I disagree (almost) completely

Working on the computer is a little like masturbation: It’s best accomplished in the privacy of your own home.

While it’s sometimes nicer to have a quiet environment to work in—you can’t complain about laptops in coffee shops. In my mind, working on a computer can be a very social affair, but it’s not something that, if other people are doing it, disturbs me.

Technology was supposed to free us, not enslave us. The promise of technology was the promise of an efficient workplace and more freedom to pursue the things that enrich us as human beings. Well, technology has freed us all right — permanently, in some cases. How many jobs have simply disappeared, made obsolete overnight by computers that don’t mind working 24/7, don’t expect a union wage and never bitch about working conditions?

This is Marx---he said technology would free us. But in the ideal Marx world, we would reach the point where technology would do all of the dirty work for us, leaving humans free to pursue artistic expression. Under the current system, however, everyone only sees job loss.

Also, on a side note, Lenin was the worst thing that could ever have happened to Marx.

But overall I think technology is a good thing. I think there’s room for “being connected 24/7” and enjoying the pleasures of humanity. I don’t think carrying a cell phone on a hike makes the hike any less enjoyable.

Yes, it can create a stressful culture, but I think the benefits far outweigh the badness. But it’s a good article anyway, so read it ;)