In today’s conditions, our relationship with laptops has become not just entertaining but necessary. Remote work was gaining popularity, and today, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, almost all areas of our lives have moved online. Education, lectures, lessons, exams, work, interviews, and other activities now take place using a laptop. It seems that it clearly describes the importance of our relationship with laptops today.
“We now have a critical mass of “normal” employees working remotely who must use advanced computer communication to work.” (Blanchard 4).
The described outcome can be considered both an advantage and a problem. On the one hand, the need to function in the digital setting instead of a live one suggests greater access to a variety of resources, including academic ones. However, as mentioned above, there are some basic requirements for an ordinary office worker. Thus, earlier, if one did not have enough financial resources to purchase a laptop but desired to work, one could go and get a job in the office. Today, to obtain a job in many companies, the obligatory conditions are the presence of a laptop, a camera, the Internet, and a microphone. It turns out that our relationships with laptops today are quite expensive, and without minimum start-up capital, getting a job can be difficult.
“Another consequence of the lockdowns is the extreme increase in the usage of Internet and social media.” (Donthu and Gustafsson 13)
Certainly, such manifestation of excessive relations with laptops has led to some problems. In the first days of quarantine, there was an overload of servers in many services, which led to inconvenience. In some cases, this provoked a complete shutdown of the service, which promoted severe problems for both owners and customers.
“Communication technologies can give governments more control by allowing them to manipulate (centralized) communication processes and develop personalised nudges to influence decision-making on a large scale (though perhaps hidden from citizens).” (Lember et al. 57).
Perhaps this is one of the fundamental negative consequences of our close relationship with laptops. Social networks, advertising, online stores, photos, videos, all this can serve as a tool for propaganda or disinformation. Moreover, in some cases, we may not even realize that we have formed an opinion that is convenient for someone else using the laptop. Besides, the degree of control over citizens via laptops and the Internet today is controversial from an ethical point of view.
“Next to mobile phones, laptop computers in the classroom is likely one of the most prevalent devices that student bring to class.” (Kuznekoff et al. 35).
This is due to the fact that each student may easily find any necessary information in a short time. Thereby, it seems that textbooks and notebooks will soon be needless, which would make our relationships with laptops even closer.
“Technologies promote a more effective studying process, as the data searching process is easier and faster.” (Corti et al. 88).
Certainly, the convenience and the speed of data searching are the main reasons for our friendly relationships with laptops. It is hard to imagine that earlier one had to spend hours in the library to find necessary data. No wonder laptops have become an integral part of human life, either one is a businessman, student, office worker, or has any other occupation.
Works Cited
Blanchard, Anita L. “The effects of COVID-19 on virtual working within online groups.” Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, vol. 24, no. 2, 2021, pp. 290-296.
Donthu, Naveen, and Anders Gustafsson. “Effects of COVID-19 on Business and Research.” Journal of Business Research, vol. 117, 2020, pp. 284-289.
Garfin, Dana Rose. “Technology as a Coping Tool During the COVID‐19 Pandemic: Implications and Recommendations.” Stress and Health, vol. 1, 2020, pp. 1-5.
Lember, Veiko, Taco Brandsen, and Piret Tõnurist. “The Potential Impacts of Digital Technologies on Co-Production and Co-Creation.” Public Management Review, vol. 21, no. 11, 2019, pp. 1665-1686.
Kuznekoff, Jeffrey, Stevie Munz, and Scott Titsworth. Mobile Devices and Technology in Higher Education. Routledge, 2019.
Corti, Louise, Veerle Eynden, Libby Bishop, and Matthew Woolard. Managing and Sharing Research Data: A Guide to Good Practice. Sage, 2019.