Technological Wonderland
21 In the classic silent film Modern Times， Charlie Chaplin's "Modern" man runs around in circles tightening screws and bolting Bolts in mad precision. Today， Chaplin's postmodern equivalent
Punches the keyboard， moves from chat room to e-mail to game Screen， and sails into virtual reality with an earnestness that can Cause equal delirium. Computer life is， I believe， an attempt
To solve the problem of alone time and social needs. In a culture That no longer provides wilderness or stretches of solitary time， The computer is the one machine that seemingly offers it all： Stimulation， knowledge， news， alone time， relationships， and even Sex. One might say it has universal appeal. However， if we are Not aware of why computer technology is attracting us， we cannot Use it to our best advantage. The question is， are we routinely Using the computer and television to find alone time without really Realizing our unfulfilled alone need? Or are we becoming incapable Of living in the moment except in technological time-outs like the Computer?
22 A friend of mine wishes he could be lost in the woods with A cellular phone： that way， there could be utter silence with the Opportunity to connect if he so desired. Yet the explorer of the
Internet is never completely freed from the world. Tuned in to Electronic information， he is inundated with knowledge. More and More， people are getting annoyed by the accessibility of modern Hookups and the prevalence of telephones （on airplanes and in Hotel rooms） because it makes them feel like they must work. At No other time in history have people's minds and bodies been so accessible. Today， being online seems the Western way to meet our Needs for solitude and together time， but at what cost? Keeping Silent about the pleasures of aloneness leaves us blind to the real Allure of computer marvels.5o When an experience is altering our Consciousness and we do not discriminate either how or why， then The experience is regulating US.
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