From the desk

• By Tabitha Cassidy
• Published: March 5th, 2013

My grandmother still cannot send a text message.

Sometimes I worry about her, thinking that she might get left behind and remain ignorant about what is happening in the world, or even in the family.

Cassidy

But mostly, I really respect her.

Why do I respect my non-texting granny’s lack of technology usage? Well, even though she does not spend countless hours a day on the Internet or with a smart phone glued to her hand, she still manages to knows what is going on in the nation, she still keeps in contact with the family, and half of the time, she somehow knows what is happening before I do — someone who is glued to every news outlet the moment classes end.

In an age where our phones become an extension of our arm and we cannot answer a question without first consulting Google or Bing, the thought of never using the Internet seems preposterous.

It really is not, though.

In 1969, the very first shadow of the Internet began with four computers connecting to one another. It took less than 60 years for this form of technology to take hold of people and skyrocket us all to obsession — and I do mean obsession.

Would we be able to survive without our phones, computers or tablets? The primary method of communication for me is through some medium that needs a satellite 22,000 miles above the earth’s surface. If a meteoroid were to suddenly strike the satellites I depend on, I would be at a loss when it comes to talking to my best friend back home in Michigan.

I wonder, how many of you would be in the same boat as me? How many of you primarily use email, text messaging or even Facebook chat to keep in touch with your loved ones? If that meteoroid suddenly crashed into all of our satellites, how many of us would be terrified of a world without technology?

On second thought, I should not worry about my grandmother surviving too much. After all, she knows how to survive and function without the Internet.