Getting Lost and Found in GPS Technology

Reading both “The Acceleration of Tranquility” and Digital Capital have caused me to re-evaluate how I see the future of GPS technology, business and our quality of life. For example, when I read Digital Capital I thought back to the first time I had ever encountered a hand-held GPS. My older brother got one as a gift eight years ago and it was very complicated took a group effort to figure out. I then thought of the GPS that I got for Christmas last year and it was so simple and user-friendly compared to his! The evolution of global positioning systems has not only been key to the technological aspect of the product, but also to the business aspect. From what I gathered from Digital Capital, I believe this evolution makes the product more accessible and understandable which increases consumption. Along with the increase of consumption, “distributive networks” have benefited from the accessibility to GPS. This has created a new niche for the shipping and trucking branches of business that are now known as logistics, which are vital to many companies.  Like the evolution that Digital Capital has expressed, “The Acceleration of Tranquility” painted two pictures that compared life with advanced technology to life without it. The description of the time of great technological advances had its bonuses and drawbacks, just like the evolution of the GPS. Today GPS is more accessible than ever but with that accessibility comes the increase of GPS placement and usage that could possibly be an invasion of privacy. In the description of a simpler time, there was no immediate feedback from correspondents. When I compared that to global positioning systems, I thought about my travels before I had a GPS in my car and how immediate directions were not available, which for me made getting lost part of the fun and adventure of travelling. Some of the best stories my friends and I have are from who and what we encountered while we were trying to find our way! These readings have made me realize that although technological advancements have been great for consumption and business, you can lose some of the fun that comes with not knowing someone’s response or where you are… at least immediately!