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In the early 70's, Motorola released one of the first portable, analog cell phones. Two-pound "bricks", as they were referred to, used to communicate while mobile. By mid 1981, IBM introduced the first personal computer and within just a few short years, Microsoft created Windows, which was originally an add-on to MS-DOS. As the 90's approached, technology started to explode with spectacular advances; Microsoft Windows would soon become a household name and "user-friendly" would be the new wave. Almost twenty years later, a new millennium has brought forth just about every gadget imaginable to make the fast paced lives of Americans a little easier and more convenient.

This generation of young people couldn't even fathom a world without Internet, iPods, cell phones or MP3 players. "Eh, how did anyone survive without text messaging? I would just die!" say the future leaders of America. Their children won't even know what the term "analog" means and "high-def" will probably be considered old hat.

At this rate, the unemployment rate will quadruple, as technological advances will make the use of people in customer service markets obsolete. We are already inundated with self-checkout isles at grocery stores, automated customer service lines and the use of services like "auto bill pay", who needs the post office? More and more retailers are offering their merchandise online and loans can be obtained via fax. After a while, everything will be done in the comfort of one's home, perhaps even a teleportation device bringing you Chinese food. Where does it end? Will robots eventually make us obsolete?

Americans have been sucked up into a cyclone of supply and demand. We fill our plates with excessive agendas and have become codependent on 'devices' to pick up the slack for all of the other tedious responsibilities that haven't been penciled in. Our future generations will become crippled, lackadaisical zombies and the over dependence on technology could prove to be demise of a country at war. Identities wiped out, communications halted, energy and power lost. We are constantly thinking of innovative ways to make life easier, but in the event of a crisis, when the plug has been pulled, what ever will we do then?

Learn more about this author, Elaina Wicks.
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