“Always On” technology or “Sometimes Off” technology? What are we striving for?

I would say that right now, we are in a precious moment in time where we experience “Sometimes Off” technology – smartphone adoption, while rising, still has a ways to go, same for tablets, digital signage..well, we know where that is right now. We are on the cusp of “Always On” technology, but if I stop to think about where we are – the masses – I can actually find myself relishing it.

Now, I’m as plugged in as anyone and I look forward to a day where the places and things around us are turned on. I know that is where we are going and I actually think we’ll get there much quicker than people might be ready for. But as I think about this idea, of truly everyone being plugged in and turned on, it’s hard not to think about the days where we didn’t even have cell phones. I think of when I was a kid and was lucky to have a laser disk player + TV and a standard wall-jacked phone (remember those cords?!?).And then I think of my kids right now with iPods and iPhones and iPads and computers and DVD players and everything. They don’t know anything else. They know technology and to them, it probably is always on.

But what happens when it truly is always on? What will we have then?

Yes, it will just be another thing to manage. But it’s a lot easier to manage when it’s not there vs. when it always is and you must turn it off. Fascinating thought, to me. Will people turn it off?