The 21st century can best be called the gadget age.We are hooked onto our devices be it mobile phones or laptops or ipods or pads.Gaming,buying,banking communicating and reading can all be done on these.The TV and the radio seem passe.So does the landline phone.

Of course the internet has its advantages.It makes tasks convenient, storage cheap.One can download movies, songs or books easily and free(at times).Email has revolutionized written communication in the same way as the mobile phone has revolutionized oral communication.We can buy things on the internet and pay by netbanking.

Our corporate stocks too are purchased online.I can sit here and type out an article which the world can read.This was an undreamt of thing a few decades ago. Technology has also changed our offices.They are paperless with a lot of hitherto manually performed work done by machines.Everything from ppts ,excel sheets to accounts. Technology has also given us access to a lot of information.We have all the views and news on our smartphones and laptops.

But arent we caught in a whirlwind of information.We want more because we can have more and not necessarily need more.For example,on the social media platform,there is facebook,twitter,google+,linkedin and what not.How many am I to join.Often,new technologies are difficult to operate by laymen. And then there is also the fear of these devices breaking down leading to loss of information.They are machines after all.

Technology also changes at a rapid pace and everyone struggles to keep up with it to varying degrees.Those who cannot keep up with the change often suffer from complexes and phobias.They desire a return back to the old days.These are mainly the middle aged and older people but includes youngsters as well. The overuse of devices by children and adults alike has led to the sedentary lifestyle society.

We have shortening attention spans and lifestyle diseases, obesity and the like. We cant escape technology in our day and age.But we can be wise and aware and not get addicted to our devices and technology.We can take the full benefit of them without losing ourselves in them.This can be done by discipline ,by realizing that there is a lot around us other than devices-there is the real world, our family, our neighbours, outdoors and nature.