Technology has unquestionably facilitated our lives, allowing us to save a lot of time and achieve our immediate goals in a simple, fast, even fun way. Some of us, however, have developed such a tenacious attachment to all the possibilities of technology, to all the glittering opportunities offered by electronic devices, that we have almost completely forgotten all those exquisitely human emotions and sensations that we experienced in the years before the introduction of all the technological derivatives we know now, such as smartphones, computers, or even intelligent home-improvement systems. The younger generations, having been born and raised in a historical era already heavily influenced by technology, have not even experienced certain mental and physiological pleasures that belonged to previous generations, and which were certainly a fundamentally important part of the daily existence of many people.
The dual effect of technology
For all of them, technology has therefore had a dual effect. On the one hand, it has facilitated certain operations related to the social, professional and domestic spheres, bringing about considerable improvements that have enabled them to live more serenely, with considerable time savings and a general increase in the fluidity with which life's operations are carried out. On the other hand, technological aids have deprived these people of a whole range of sensations that could have made their lives even more fulfilling, even fuller, through a vast assortment of small pleasures and emotions that would have been experienced in person, without the mediation of any digital device.
It is as if technology, in a way, had exacted a high price for its services, for its increasingly important role in people's daily lives, robbing people (without them realising it) of what they hold most dear, such as the beauty of a real emotion or the genuineness of a human relationship. Who among us is still able to enjoy a long conversation with a family member, friend or loved one without all those annoying interruptions generated by smartphone notifications? Who among us still knows the overwhelming pleasure of talking to a person while looking into their eyes, avoiding the barbaric habit of conversing while keeping one's gaze fixed on the bright screen of a mobile phone? We bet that the people who can still indulge in these small pleasures are few, very few, and that everyone else has probably already sacrificed these sensations (even if they don't know them at all) on the altar of unbridled technological consumption.
Forgotten pleasures
The same inordinate passion for the products of technological development has robbed us of the habit of reading, of leafing through a newspaper or any pamphlet, since we have been taught for some years now that any activity of pleasure, in order to be enjoyed to the full, must be projected and transmitted by a bright screen, as if all other sources of entertainment had disappeared altogether. If you take a look at the people who habitually travel on trains, buses or subways, you will realise that at least 80 per cent of them hold a mobile phone, and that a very small minority still insist on carrying a book or newspaper for entertainment. The pleasure of reading and healthy information, in a sense, has now been lost altogether, and in all likelihood will never be regained.
The misuse of technology, from a certain point of view, also prevents people from exploiting digital opportunities when they really need them, i.e. to find quick forms of entertainment and quick ways to pass the time, but without these activities taking precedence over everything else. The web and online pages are full of these opportunities, but many of them have not yet been explored with due care. When technology helps to enhance an existing passion, for example, it has already fulfilled a good part of its duties, without creating any harm. A concrete example of this balanced use of technological supports is undoubtedly the online portals dedicated to sports betting and gambling, which allow sports enthusiasts to experience their passion even more intensely by placing safe and fast bets on the top betting sites on the net, all of which have been carefully evaluated and selected by scrupulous teams of experts, who have analysed each of their characteristics (online reputation, reliability and speed of payment, and many others). In this way, technology becomes a useful tool for one's daily enjoyment, without overwhelming or even neutralising other habits or personal interests.
Ultimately, technology and digital should not be regarded as mere fillers for one's leisure time, but as useful amplifiers of emotions with which to enhance one's existence.