I’ve noticed two instances of digital dependencies recently that made me cringe.

The first one was in Austin, TX at SXSW.  I was pumped to see a band called Sleigh Bells.  I’d heard a few of their songs, and liked their blend of deep beats, heavy guitar and female vocals.

As the band was setting up, I spotted a guitarist tuning up and a female mic checking.  My eyes darted around for the remaining members of the band, but there was no one else in sight.  Turns out, the “band” was a Macbook.  The drums, synth and bass parts were handled by hitting a Play button.

I was a bit disillusioned by the faux band, but tried to postpone judgement until their set was complete.  Early in their set however, the Macbook malfunctioned and the beating heart of the group was silenced.  No worry, they just plugged in an iPod.  It felt more like karaoke than a live music experience.

The second reminder of digital dependence happened to me this afternoon in the office.  For whatever reason, the clock on my laptop froze at 5:05pm.  Everything else on my computer continued to work perfectly, but the time display malfunctioned.  It wasn’t until I looked at my phone (another digital device), that I noticed something strange was afoot.  At this point I didn’t trust my computer or phone, so I had to ask someone with a mechanical watch to be sure.  I ended up missing my train and subsequent dinner.

Events like these make me reconsider my digital dependencies.  I forget that technology is created by people, and thus will always be flawed.