Could you survive without your [insert gadget]?

Terminator: Genisys is the newest in a long line of post-apocalyptic movies illustrating the perils of mankind’s trust in technology.  After watching it I got to thinking about the parallels between what I saw in the film and what I see every day in the street and was inspired to write.

The power and presence of technology in our lives has increase exponentially, the height of sophistication is no longer a washing machine to make the day shorter for the fifties housewife.  The internet connects and brings people together; you can date, you can surf, you can tweet. All alien concepts twenty years ago that are now part of most people’s daily lives. Not only that, but we have the ability to connect all your devices: phone, tablet, pc and now your watch, into one continuous, mobile streaming platform. The distractions are there and they are all consuming.

A short synopsis of the film for those of you who haven’t seen it: Kyle Reese is sent back to 1984 to protect Sarah Connor. When he arrives he finds the time line altered. Reese and Connor travel forward in time to 2017 with the help of an aged Arnie. In 2017 the local people are eagerly awaiting the release of the Genisys operating system, soon to be used on every computer in the world… And to cut a long story short, the world was saved and they all live happily ever after.

The hype surrounding the release of the Genisys programme is akin to that of the newest iPhone or the next up and coming gadget; the countdown to its release and the people that flock to buy it, pre-ordering online. As Genisys became more and more sentient it's reach and power became ever greater. The more our technology develops, the more people it reaches. But when an app is required to prevent you using Facebook during exam time and giving up your phone for a few hours of serious study last half an hour you know you have a problem...

Terminator isn’t the only film of its kind, Disney Pixar’s WALL.E is another variation on the theme. The film is about a little robot’s journey through space that will decide the fate of humanity.Set 700 years in the future, the humans are portrayed as huge floating blobs, having lost their ability to walk and are continuously surfing the web on personalised screens as opposed to communicating with each other face to face. Is this what we have to look forward to? Or rather down at?

          

On the flip side we have programmes like Channel 4’s ‘The Island with Bear Grylls’ where participants are deposited half way round the world on a tropical island with the necessary skills to survive. In the 2015 series we see the camp split into two on the first day, those who know what needs to be done and those who pine for their 21st century life. Needless to say those who struggled without their gadgets didn't last long on the island. For those that remained the sense of achievement was palpable. For many their first time killing and eating an animal - something many of us are out of touch with, but that's another story.

The question still remains though; are you too reliant on technology? Could you live without your iPhone?

To reinforce my point as I was writing this I tried to discuss the subject with my sister, but she was too involved with her phone and updating her Instagram to engage.