More and more people in Germany use a “Navigationsgerät” or short “Navi” (leo.org suggested “route guidance system”) in their cars. Yesterday Tanja had to travel to Trier on a business trip and the people she visited asked her whether she had such a device in her car. Now, we don’t have such a device, but we have pretty good road maps in our car and as we usually travel together (one driving the other reading the map) we are able to find almost any place anywhere. But I assume that the map-reading abilities of the average citizen will soon begin to deteriorate because it is not necessary anymore to read maps (the advent of web-based route planners also helps to avoid map-reading). Soon the electronic route guidance system will not be an extravagant luxury tool but a necessity because it will have replaced the before necessary navigation skills of car-drivers.
Now think for a moment: isn’t that the way progress works always? The advent of a new product opens new possibilities to the few owners who can afford the expensive product. But as it becomes more and more commonplace to own the product it gradually will be used more and more. Finally, it becomes a necessity – the people who don’t own it seem to be old-fashioned.
Take the refrigerator. A hundred years ago housewifes were able to preserve many many things with many many tricks – salting, pickling, sugaring, whatever, you name it. With the advent of the refrigerator a certain luxury entered the homes – it was much easier to provide fresh things and keep them fresh. At the same time other things were not so much in need any more, e.g. the daily delivery of fresh milk. Then, after some decades, every household was equipped with a fridge, the milkman obsolete and the preserving skills vanished , it seemed impossible to survive without a fridge and indeed, by now it IS impossible to survive in our culture without a fridge.
With the car it is similar. First the mobility was extravagance, then it was good to have one because the possiblity of being mobile opened up new job opportunities and now the person without a car is so disadvantaged in the hunt for a job that they won’t get one at all.
The most recent example is the mobile phone. The mobile phone is right on the way to become a necessity without which life won’t work. Thinking about the skills that vanished with its appearance, the ability to arrange meetings and meeting points, the possibility to have someone called out (“Herr Müller bitte zur Information an der Domseite, sie werden erwartet!”) come to my mind.
As an exercise you can consider the following: television, personal computers, the internet (hint: how to use a dictionary, an encyclopedia and the telephone register), washing machines, dishwashers, pocket calculators…
Do I think progress is bad? No, not at all. Deep in my heart I’m an engineer and I enjoy many of the possibilities that come with new products. (Am I not using the web RIGHT NOW?) I just want to show you the point-of-view of the pessimistic, grumpy German who sees a downside to everything. And, as an add-on, maybe I can make you aware that one should probably think about some exit strategies and maintain some skills – who knows when the new product might fail us? Very likely when we need it most. Even if it’s as stupid a thing as a low battery.
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