Wireless addicts

Today, Netcom's mobile phone network fell out for three hours. People were furious when they found their phones not working, and politicians called for increased competition in the mobile phone market.

Young women interviewed by NRK P3 radio were frustrated, as the downtime meant they were unable to get in touch with their friends and co-workers, and some even considered switching networks.

I understand that people are frustrated when the phones are out (the outage affected me as well), the reactions show how dependent of technology we have become in less than a decade. Eight years ago, I was the first one in my class to buy a mobile phone. But I never had any problem finding my friends or staying in touch with people without mobile phones. While mobile technologies are helpful and makes it easier to stay in touch, the outage today shows how much we have come to rely on technology. The question is; Do we control technology, or does it control us? Have we forgotten how to live without it already?