Are we swimming with the time?

 The present age is known as mass media explosion. And this phenomenon has captured our imagination without which we cannot think or act. But the most pervasive of all the media is the world of information technology. The computer is doing all odd jobs for us if not in our society. Ours is still a long way to go. However, we are slowly catching with the outside world and we too have our own share in the world of the information technology. The information technology is slowly creeping into every fiber of our lives making us to be totally dependent of it.

Any society however, cannot remain static. It has to adopt and adapt to social realities and thereby, making its citizen to be in conformity with present scenario. It is in this context that the discipline becomes relevant. Any discipline, which does not connect with the social realities, becomes a mere intellectual gymnastics.

            Arguing further on this issue we have to critically analyze how this information technology is affecting our society and influencing the way we think and act. How a particular group of people is defined and how the IT vocabularies have become part of today’s usage. Reflecting on this backdrop it would not be incorrect to say that the next generation will be an IT generation. I am not sure how far the society is ready to take up in the new development that is taking place rapidly. Without giving adequate response to the new development-taking place in the society, the society will experience a cultural lag, which in the long run causes certain anxiety to the people.

           

            The clarion call for the social thinkers is to critically evaluate the recent technological development and educate our people to respond in relation to the social cultural set up. Whether we like it or not the information technology is slowly creeping into our social fabric, save in the remotest place where there is not power to do so. Just because technology is efficient and making our life easier, cozier and simple we cannot side line the certain traditional ways of doing things which in a way bring people together, and help people relate better.

             Technology should serve us and not vice versa lest we become techno-coolies. Tradition, which is the uniting factor in family and village celebrations, should continue to have a place in our life. Thus, any mechanical device should be judged on the basis of relationship and quality of living. Do we have the inclination for that?