Einstein once stated, "I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction" (Einstein). Has that day come, and are we so obsessed with technology that we are incognizant to the world around us? Over time technology has advanced a prodigious amount, and people have become more and more obsessed with it. Gadgets such as iPods, iPads, Kindles and tablets have taken over this generation. In the article "Society is Dead; We Have Retreated Into the iWorld," author Andrew Sullivan discusses his frustration with the way that technology, specifically the iPod, has taken over society, how we have become completely disconnected from the world due to this technology. On the other had in the article "A Personal Guide to Digital Happiness" author Anna Akbari tells how social media can potentially bring us together and even create new relationships. .
In his article, Sullivan discusses his thoughts on how technology is affecting our social interaction. Sullivan says that "technology has given us a universe all to ourselves" (Sullivan par. 14). People put in their earphones and to them the rest of the world disappears. People do not interact with one another like they use to because they are completely oblivious. Sullivan believes that this technology has become a "compulsive obsession" (Sullivan par. 9). Even Sullivan himself admits that he guilty of walking around ignorant to the world around him with his headphones in his ears listening to an iPod. (Sullivan par. 6) "It was not until he had left his iPod behind on a trip that he had realized just how disconnected from the world he had become" (Sullivan par. 23). He encourages readers to take their earphones out and plug into the real world for a while. Sullivan also discusses how this technology has also taken away the beauty of serendipity when it comes to music. Before the iPod and MP3 players and other things of that nature if you wanted to hear something you would have to by the entire album, and then maybe by chance you may hear a song that you would have even thought to listen to on your own.