It cannot get more ironic than thinking of a suitable and a reality based answer to this question while sitting in a room automatically kept cold to get rid of the heat of summers. I have started writing this article before looking into my digital alarm clock that gives accurate time according to my location and I have set a time for myself to finish this article in a limited timeframe. And with no surprise to the readers, I am writing this all on my laptop, which is one of the ideal forms of computer. Does this simply answer the question asked in the title? Maybe or maybe not, because some of the people would raise this point that all the computer-related gadgets or appliances around me are result of the human intelligence and would not be able to come into existence without the human mind itself creating them. Also, all that I am thinking right now or acquiring from these computer-embedded-devices are result of the desire that I hold inside my human brain that makes me completely independent and these computer machines dependent on me instead. That may also take us to the conclusion that, we are consciously dependent or selectively dependent upon computers or computer-related devices.
Few days back, I was having a heated discussion with a friend of mine on the same topic. He totally negated the concept of dependence of human beings on computers and said that he has successfully kept the computers or computer-ridden machines out of his life. But the question here is for how long will he be able to do it or has it made his life as effortless as those who use computer-ridden devices? On the other hand, I firmly believe that we are entering into an age of computers, where one day, computers will take over all the worldly matters and we will just be there to perform ceremonial functions whose status would be similar to that of the functions of the institution of crown in England or that of our silent president. I am not saying that computers are so highly genius that they will take over this world from us but, it is humans who are imprudent enough to put away the responsibilities of this world on computers so that we could bring more ease in our lives only to have free time for more food-eating contests, singing competitions or beauty pageants in our lives. Not that these activities are bad, but certainly deviates the human abilities from comparatively serious issues.
If we think of the most accomplished people of this century so far, then the names like Bill gates, Steve Jobs, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Mark Zuckerberg etc. will come to our minds. All of them happen to be the creators or founders of computer-related software or websites. Fortunately or unfortunately, these tools of virtual reality have become the actual reality of our lives. Some of us are not even aware of the extent upto which computers have occupied our lives. I wouldn’t have realized it too until one day my rickshaw driver sent me a friend request on facebook, that almost gave me a mini heart attack with surprise. For some people who do not know that usually the rickshaw drivers in third world countries are illiterate and are considered as people belonging to backward class.
We have reached to such a state of numbness where we fail to acknowledge that computers have become vital entities in our lives. There are a lot of household gadgets which are essential part of our mundane life and we are not even aware that they have mini-computers fixed inside them which enable them to do the tasks that they are supposed to fulfill. Like, coffee-makers, automated vacuums, alarm clocks and security systems and even televisions; all have programmed computers embedded inside them without which our daily schedules could devastate in no-time.
It is said that fiction gives inspiration to reality. If this is taken as a hypothesis, then we can surely predict our future from the sci-fi movies like Transcendence, Her, Ex-Machina etc. which depicts the future evolution of computers into artificial intelligence, making human dependent on them for everything even for emotional and sexual needs and desires.
Solitary Gleaner 