The Cloud

Today on television I saw the first real introduction of the next step of technology. I saw the first real commercial for practical use of the “Cloud.” For most people the Cloud might cause them to think of the really lame Windows commercials where normal people go onto the cloud to do their work. When I watch that commercial I just think “Look at these people using an application on their computer that works well with other applications and syncs with the Internet.” In their attempt to educate the public about cloud technology they have completely confused everyone, even me who had an idea of what cloud technology is.

So what is cloud networking or cloud technology? The most basic way to explain it is to say that computers will no longer need hard drives. The hard drive of a computer stores all of the information that you save and stores the applications like Microsoft Word and Photoshop that you may want to run on your computer. So how do you even have a functioning computer without a place to save all of the work that you have done or run the applications that you need to have at your fingertips. The answer is in the “cloud” also known as the Internet or more specifically, the servers of your preferred operating system company.

Microsoft, Google, and many major companies have been creating new updating their operating systems so that you can access your computer no matter what computer you are on. Imagine being able to go over to your friends house and still be able to use your computer by logging into your account with Google. This is currently not possible because usually the information that is necessary is on your hard drive, but since Google keeps all of this information on their hard drive at their headquarters then you will be able access it on any Google device and an Internet connection.

There are two basic issues with this technology. I think the most obvious is that Internet is not available everywhere. However, with the widespread 3G and 4G technologies, this is becoming less and less of an issue. It may soon be true that hard wire connections to the Internet will become obsolete. Companies like Comcast might not farewell if computers and TV all receive fast Internet connections. This is still a little ways off, but the improvements in the technology and the wider spread acceptance of cloud technology make this more of a reality everyday.


Another issue with cloud technology is privacy. I personally will make sure that my future computing devices will have hard drives. Although I may not ever hold classified information, I do not really like that everything I work on, on my computer is available from anywhere. This means that any smuck on the Internet has as much ability to access my stuff as I do. There are plenty of clever hackers out there and this is a problem.

However, I doubt that any of these concerns will discourage anyone, because this is so great. The commercial that I recently saw showed a phone being connected to a computer and then the person could use their phone to do all of their work. This is the beginning of cloud technology!

24/7 Networking

The biggest concern for me about the Internet is the increasing loss of one’s self. Is it possible that through Facebook and Twitter and things like that that we are losing our individualism? We are all interconnected almost 24 hours a day. It used to be, less than two decades ago, that our home phones were the only quick and reliable way to contact someone else. Before that was Morse Code, before that was mail, and before that was seeing them in person.

I received a text message that woke me up at 3 am last night. And although it was from a good friend of mine, I did not want to be awakened by that. I started to get this feeling that even sleep, my only place for personal time, was being taken away from me. I can socialize, but I don’t want to be a social person in this modern society. I do not mind having a cellphone, because I can ignore a phone call or choose to respond to a text message later. But I have become uncomfortable with the introduction of Facebook and Skype and Places and the multitude of other ways of getting in contact with others. It is starting to feel like the social life is becoming more of a 24/7 job that I will have a harder and harder time getting away from as I get older. As companies become more and more aware they will start to introduce cross platform media and soon your television will tell your friends what shows that you are watching without you having a say in it.

With the introduction of the 24/7 social connection I feel that I have to represent myself more carefully than I would like to. On Facebook I have to worry about the types of pictures that get posted because it is likely to affect my future job endeavors. I have to worry, even if it is subconsciously, what people might think of me if they saw this or saw that. I am tailoring myself to look the best in public rather than being myself and letting people like me for being the messed up me that I am. We can choose who to be on the Internet and as we increase the amount of time and ways that we spend on the Internet it becomes more and more our reality and we lose what we really are. We lose all of those annoying things about ourselves that we hate and yet makes us who we are.

It would be impossible to be successful and yet shun all of this development. I think the only thing that can be done in preparation of this inevitable future is to recognize what is going on. That people are beginning to lose themselves on the Internet. Those who are able to control this intake and still be functional in the real world are the ones who will be the happiest.