Technobiography - Jamie Whalen

Ever since I was a very young child, technology has been part of my life. I remember as a toddler using my VTech "laptop" that helped me learn to read. Around age 7, I was introduced to the real computer and made my very own screenname to chat on Instant Messenger with my friends. I can remember sitting and waiting for, what seems like forever now, for the dial-up internet to connect. Also around this age, I used to find fun in recording different messages on my parents answering machine.

Eventually around middle school, the computer became a huge part of my life. I had to be online every night at a certain time in order to talk to all my friends. We would create AOL profiles and design homepages as ways of expressing our creativity. In eighth grade I got my own cell phone "in case of emergencies," which eventually led to begging my parents to purchase a text messaging plan. Once when my computer was broken, I insisted on going on Instant Messenger on my phone, leading to a very high phone bill and unhappy parents. Technology was becoming something I could not live without for even short periods of time.

Today, on a daily basis I use my laptop, cell phone, and TV. Very often I use my digital camera, DVD player, iPod, and GPS. Sometimes I wonder how I lived without these devices. Before I bought my GPS, I was either driving off the road trying to read directions or just lost with no idea how to get where I needed to be. Before having an iPod, someone couldn't pay me to actually go to the gym. Even while writing this short essay, I have probably logged into Facebook at least three times. Technology has taken over my life completely, and for the most part, I don't think I mind.