Recently we had a tremendous lightning storm near my town. I mean I know we are the lightning capital of North America and all, but this one was really special. It lit up the night like a hundred searchlights. The next day the storm was over, but the consequences were not. At my house and all up and down the beaches, we lost internet and Wi-Fi.
Now this may not sound like a big deal, but for me it was an interesting and frustrating lesson about how dependent we are on our electronic devices. For example, I had been looking forward to watching a Rays afternoon game, but now that our television receives its input from the internet I could not. No big deal as it turns out because the Rays got clobbered.
I was curious when the weather would clear up. No way to find out. No TV, of course, but my trusty iPhone couldn’t get me the news either because of no Wi-Fi, and mobile data service was down. I’m somebody who tries to keep up with the news, so I wanted to read the Tampa Bay Times on my iPad. Impossible without the internet.
I wonder how the stock market is doing? Nope.
Maybe I can find something amusing to watch on my iPhone. Nope.
Is this weather finally beginning to clear? No way to find out.
My wife is supposed to fly to Baltimore tonight. On time? Who knows?
Let’s see what people are ranting about on NextDoor. Sorry.
When is this technology disaster going to be over. Impossible to assess. I felt like I was back in 1950, which is impossible of course as the iPhone wasn’t even available until 2007. But this adventure has given me worry. We know that China, Russia and of course Iran would very much like to cause our country trouble. I suspect they must realize how vulnerable we are with our communication devices. What if they could hack into our internet servers and do to them what that big storm did? I’m sure there are people out there much smarter than I am who can explain to me how this is impossible. At least I hope so.
The iPhone (and Android version) is essentially a computer you carry in your pocket. It’s one of the great inventions of the 21st century. Never have so many had access to so much information. And, as it turns out, never have so many been so frustrated when that information is cut off. Even for a little while.
I recently read that information is addictive. Having it always at hand triggers dopamine in your brain much like a drug. Guess what, folks? Most of us are drug addicts and we didn’t even know it. Thanks a lot Steve Jobs.
Chris Core is a former Washington, D.C. radio and television personality who now lives in Pass-a-Grille. He is a winner of the Edward R. Murrow Award for outstanding achievement in broadcast journalism.