5G, Are We Pushing Our Limits?
5G is about to be launched and we're all sitting on the edge of our seats for different reasons. Some of us simply can't wait for our those computers we put in our pockets to switch screens the moment we click on a link. And others of us want to see the details of our loved one's acne when we face-time or Skype.
There are those of us though that fear what that degree of electromagnetic waves floating through the air will do to us. Are we building the world's largest microwave which we'll be stuck inside? I'm not a tech person, so far from it in fact that I pay out the nose to use Apple pc's rather than Microsoft (that's how little I know or care about tech), so I don't even know the full scope of what advances will be made with this new technology.
Yet I have been reading these articles warning us about the danger of switching over to this degree of wifi along with the different cellular companies proudly advertising the launch of this new technology. I can't honestly say I know enough to put forth an educated opinion of what we're inevitably to be dealing with in terms of technology and it's repercussions, but I have a different concern.....
Do we really need 5G? What does the common, or even average middle/upper class Joe do that he or she requires that speed of wifi? If we're talking about government/military/highly sensitive legal and scientific data, well then ok. Those are powers beyond the majority of our understanding. But what are we lacking in technology right now that makes our lives that much more difficult or less fulfilled? Isn't it time to take a good look at ourselves as a society and ask if this is really going to make our lives better?
At the risk of sounding like a Luddite, I can't help but wonder why we don't already marvel at how far we've come in such a short time. Fifteen years ago, a handful of the population had a blue-tooth, 20 years ago, the internet had just become a common tool, and 30 years ago, a handful of the population had a desktop computer with floppy disks. Can we just slow down for a moment?
It's like driving a Hummer through a metropolis. Sure it looks good and makes the driver feel empowered, but is it necessary and is it possible that it poses a threat to the other drivers? Especially with the wrong person being the wheel? And in the end, what purpose does it really serve?
The World Health Organization has already determined that cell phones contribute to the development of cancer, so is it possible that we're flying a little too close to the sun here? I guess what I'm saying is that I'd prefer to see some research that's been done over the long term effects of 5G set forth by the World Health Organization so that we can all stop speculating about what will or won't happen once people start switching over. In the meantime, I'd prefer not to take my chances just so that the guy sitting next to me on the train can check a link on his Facebook account a few seconds quicker.