FROM OVER AND THEY ARE GETTING
READY FOR THE PLAY-OFFS.
ANNA MEILER, WBZ THIS MORNING.
TECHNOLOGY IS AN INGRAINED
PART OF OUR DAILY LIVES.
JON KELLER WONDERS IF OUR TECH
OBSESSION HAS GONE TOO FAR.
Reporter: GOOD MORNING.
STEVEN HAWKING WHO SPENT MOST
OF HIS ADULT LIFE DEALING WITH
A SLOW MOVING FORM OF LOU
GEHRIG'S DISEASE DIED AT THE
AGE OF 76.
NOW HIS FINAL BOOK HAS BEEN
PUBLISHED ENTITLED BRIEF
ANSWERS TO THE BIG QUESTIONS.
ONE OF THE ANSWERS IS THE TECH
REVOLUTION AND THE DANGER IT
POSES TO US IN THE FUTURE.
ACCORDING TO HIS DAUGHTER WHO
HELPED COMPLETE THE BOOK,
HAWKING SAW HUMANITY
APPROACHING VAST TRANSFORMATIVE
CHANGE SPURRED BY HIGH-TECH
ADVANCES AND RAISED A GOOD
QUESTION, QUOTE, HOW GOOD IS
THE TRACK RECORD OF THE HUMAN
RACE IN USING ADVANCES IN
TECHNOLOGY FOR THE GOOD OF
ORDINARY PEOPLE, END QUOTE.
WE TALKED A LOT IN THIS TIME
SLOT ABOUT THE DOWNSIDES OF THE
TECH REVOLUTION, ESPECIALLY
WHEN IT COMES TO PERSONAL
GADGETS AND SOCIAL MEDIA.
THE ADDICTIVENESS, THE
SUBSTITUTION OF TECHNOLOGY FOR
THOUGHT AND HUMAN CONTACT AND
THE AVALANCHE OF BULLYING AND
TROLLING BEHAVIOR THAT HAS BE
FOULED THESE NEW PATHWAYS OF
COMMUNICATION.
WHEN YOU SEE PEOPLE SPENDING
TIME AND ENERGY DEBATING
WHETHER OR NOT A BAGEL EMOJI
SHOULD HAVE CREAM CHEESE ON IT,
YOU REALIZE HOW DISTRACTED WE
ARE.
WHEN YOU SEE THE APPEAL OF A
NEW MUSEUM OF SELFIES THAT JUST
OPENED UP IN L.A., YOU WONDER
WHERE OUR TECH FUELED OBSESSION
WITH TRIVIA AND NARCISSISM MAY
LEAD US.
ACCORDING TO HIS DAUGHTER,
HAWKING BELIEVED THAT, QUOTE,
WE SEEM TO HAVE LOST THE
ABILITY TO LOOK OUTWARD AND WE
ARE INCREASINGLY LOOKING INWARD
TO OURSELVES, END QUOTE.
A HARSH INDICTMENT FROM A MAN
WHO SPENT DECADES IN A
WHEELCHAIR UNABLE TO SPEAK AND
A WARNING WORTH HEADING.
