Summative Statement: Are you a gadget?

I remember one of the first class discussions we had was over this seemingly simple yet very complex question of are you a gadget. At the time I remember thinking, “how is this even a question?” “Are we really debating whether or not we are the same as phones or computers?” The answer seemed simple to me then - No.

Of course it was no. How could I even compare myself to a Apple Watch or Google Home? I am a human made of billions of cells. I am a living organism. I cry, bleed, and sweat. I have emotions and thoughts. I have dreams. How could I possibly be a gadget?

While the answer seemed simple and easy to me then, that is not the case anymore. However, I am not now saying that yes, I am a gadget, but I don’t think the answer is no either. In fact, I am not quite sure where the answer lies, but it is somewhere in between.

So, no I do not think I am a gadget in the sense that I am the same as an phone or computer. But, so much of our lives are gadgetized now that it hard to say that gadgets are obsolete to ourselves. The entire world and everyone in it relies on gadgets to get through their everyday lives. And personally, my everyday life largely involves the use of my phone. I use it to keep up with the news, send emails, watch funny videos, and sometimes even do homework. I use my phone everyday to text my friends and family back home and also my girlfriend who is currently studying at a different university all the way in Texas. So without my phone, my relationships with the people I care about would be completely different and lack the essential day to day communication that I have with them. I am very much the person that has it by them at all times. While I do out it away when hanging out with people in person, I am still quick to respond and check my phone when I hear that ring a ling ding.

And one day in October, my phone didn’t turn on in the morning. I was shocked and angry and confused and helpless. What was I going to do without my phone? How would my girlfriend even know I was alive? I am missing out on all the news and interesting debating in my group chats. I guess I’ll have to eat alone now that I can’t text people to come eat. On and on I realized how much not having my phone affects my daily life. I felt naked almost just walking to class not really knowing what time it was and having to ask someone for the time.

So while earlier in the year I questioned how could I ever be a gadget, after not having a phone for a day, I realized how much of our life is gadgetized. I realized how much we rely on simple everyday technology to get through our lives. Again, I am not saying we are gadgets. I do not think I am the same as a computer. But it’s becoming increasingly harder to say that your life doesn’t need gadgets, that you are independent of gadgetry.