Gadgets Galore

For today’s youngsters, reared on computers, the internet, PlayStation, cellphones, iPods and a host of other gadgets, life without the latest high-tech innovations would be simply unimaginable. But is our gadgeted world bringing us closer together, or leaving some of us out in cyber Siberia? Bhimanto Suwastoyo reports.

There are those of us who yearn for simpler times before gadgets took over our lives, but like it or not we have to face up to the fact that gadgets are here to stay.

I was sitting comfortably in an armchair, exchanging trivialities with a much younger friend when the full realization of my age became glaringly and painfully apparent.

She was two-timing me with another friend of hers, although nothing sexual was involved.

Although engaged in the conversation we were having, her thumb clicked endlessly on her cellphone, churning out a series of detailed SMS to someone.

For me, writing an SMS requires complete, undivided attention; I am not even speaking of the level of thumb dexterity needed, which does not come naturally to me. To see a younger person beat me with such ease on both counts was enough to saddle me with a depressing inferiority complex.

It left me pondering whether the incident was simply about the shortcomings of technology-challenged, old-fashioned me, or more of a generational issue about the acceptance of new gadgetry.

Lunch with an old friend and fellow journalist further fueled my insecurity.

IT columnist Rene Pattirajawane arrived lugging a bulky backpack, and proceeded to unload six different gadgets onto the table.

Five expensive-looking mobile phones, each with its own designated group of recipients, and one high-end WiFi enabled portable personal digital assistant sat defiantly across from me.

Later, he revealed the rest of the contents of his backpack: a laptop with rotating screen, a digital camera that would put a pro to shame, various portable data storage devices and a plethora of cute gadgets that I had never seen before and had no idea how to use.

"You still use one of those, huh?" Rene said when I hesitantly put my outdated cumbersome cassette recorder on the table.

I felt like I had just committed the cardinal sin of being completely gaptek (technologically ignorant).

I always believed that while I had not seamlessly embraced the latest technology and gadgetry, I had not fared too badly in keeping up with the times. But I also readily admit that I have remained a mere user, without the slightest idea about how the gadgets actually work.

Most of the time, it is the accompanying price tags that discourage any further interest in purchasing more sophisticated models.

So is it that which separates gadget freaks from the rest of us?

"If someone goes as far as being willing to spend the lion's share of his income, or even goes deep into debt in order to get the latest products, then that can be classified as a pathological action," said Astrid Gisela Herabadi, who teaches consumer psychology at Atmajaya University.

For Rene, gadgets are essential in his job and everyday life. "I use gadgets for many, many things. They allow me to work comfortably from home or from any place I find myself, and then I can even check on what is happening at home.”

Gadgets are increasingly becoming the normal paraphernalia of an up-and-coming professional. And they are not just for men anymore, with gadget manufacturers reaching out to female consumers with special features.

For Trinity, 34, a telecommunications firm employee who also runs a travel blog, the most up-to-date gadgets are must-haves.

"As a traveler, I am very dependent on gadgets," she said, adding that a cell phone, a digital camera and an iPod were her essential travel companions. A laptop also comes along on business travel.

"And I am also very diligent in renewing my gadgets with those with the latest technology.”

For Brahmanta, gadgets also help him survive as a bachelor working from home as a consultant.

When he wakes up, the 49-year-old bangs on a gadget on his night-table and, lo and behold, the time is magnificently projected in large digital figures on the ceiling.

"With my poor eyesight, I don't want to frown when I wake up as I try to see what the time is," he said.  

His Lazyboy, where he spends most of his recreation time, comes with a universal remote control that gives orders at whim to the television, air-conditioner, audio system, fan and lights.  

In general, consumers buy products, including gadgets, with a certain motive in mind, a motive that often translates into their own definition of their "needs," said Astrid.

"Some of these needs are rational and logical, but there are also those which are emotional and psychological.”

Gadgets, she added, were often bought as status symbols and to keep up appearances.

The media and the barrage of advertisements also often create "new needs" for people, she said.

For consumerist urban dwellers, acquiring a new gadget gives self-confidence, just like purchasing a pair of branded shoes, bag or watch.

"Gadgets are for grown ups, what toys are for boys. Like children who see a new toy, you must have it [a new gadget]," said Rene.  

He is fortunate that his gadget fixation does not eat into his pocketbook. As a regular IT columnist in a leading newspaper, he often receives the newest gadgets to evaluate.

"The thing is that only a few gadget owners actually use their gadgets to their full potential," Rene acknowledged, citing the example of those who flaunt ultra-sophisticated cell phones when they only use a tiny part of the gadgets’ capabilities.

Gadgets, no matter how sophisticated they are, also have inevitable drawbacks and limitations, beginning with the expenditure involved.

Another downside, prevalent among online and video game addicts, is gradually shrinking social interaction; on the health front, studies abound about painful ailments due to the chronic repetition of bodily movements from gaming.

The dependence of most modern gadgets on a network system and coverage, the relatively short life-span of batteries and the absence of a power source also can turn them into useless, expensive curiosities.

"Gadgets are also getting smaller and more sophisticated, but not their cables," moaned Trinity about the headache of packing them for trips.

"Every time I travel, I have to bring a boxful of cables and chargers," she added of the different converters and adaptors required for overseas systems.

Technology can intrude into the most private space.

 "I once found myself screaming ‘CNN, CNN’ in the middle of the night, as I tried to switch television channels using an expensive voice-activated remote control I bought in the U.S.," Brahmanta said.

There are a few holdouts to the tech invasion, including those who obstinately refuse to buy a cell phone.

“I really don’t like the whole SMS trend,” said “Taufik”, a writer. “I hate all the shortened language and that you can’t really pick up on the tone of the message.”

But the messages are great, he added wryly, “for passive aggressives”.

Even Trinity, given the choice, likes a respite from technology now and again.

"If I could choose, I would rather like to be unreachable [by telephone]. And that is why I like to travel to places where there are no signals or international roaming coverage.”

Ah, it feels so good not to be alone in this modern world. I think I hear an SMS coming in …

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