Technology and Community

Technology plays a significant role in peoples' life, at some point it kinda dictates how someones life will be. For example, nowadays if you have a cellphone it is easier for you to connect to people compared to when you didn't have. If you have your own computer and internet connection, you won't need to go to a computer shop in the middle of the night when you all of a sudden realized that you need to submit something online. You can polish your weekend getaway few days or even months before without even going to the place once- you can do all that online or via calls rather than  going to the place in time when you want to get to your most awaited vacay and then that's when you'll just find places to stay and all. Technology makes our lives easier. It makes things convenient for us but not everyone got a hold of this 'privilege'.

I just spent my long weekend at Laiya, San Juan, Batangas doing my undergraduate thesis. Me and my partner arrived at San Juan town proper at around 7pm but for us who are used to the upbeat environment in the city the place already seems to be portraying scenes from 12 midnight. Yes there were still people in the streets but there were just a few plus the establishments were already closed and there's scarcity on transportation means. When we got to Laiya after traveling 22 kilometers via tricycle (which is a rip off by the way) all the more that it seems like past midnight already- no one is on the streets. Having known that Laiya is a famous tourist destination, it is not as alive as how I expected it to be.

Being budget travelers we did not stay on a posh resort though as part of our thesis we tried to visit as many resorts as we can and we saw the variation on the level of technology that resorts have. There are resorts which are really advanced and then there are the ones which do not even have televisions in the rooms. I am putting this in a context that Laiya seems to be a really provincial type of place yet there are these few establishments which have it all in their backyard when it comes to technology while everything else around them is struggling to get a hold of these convenience granting inventions. It kinda shows the different aspect of the effects that technological advancement can bring about to humanity. It mirrors the deplorable side it can have to the society. Having all these flush resorts in the middle of a barrio  kind of place doesn't quite seem right. Yeah there might be nothing wrong with it but it just shows how inequitable life can be. You have this well-advanced resort in the middle of a community where people live in the most simple bungalow you can imagine, some of them even just live in huts. It is a clear depiction of how availing the benefits of technological advancement has become a privilege. Furthermore, residents have been in Laiya since time immemorial then these resorts sprouted like mushrooms through time then they are the ones reaping the glory of the place which should be dedicated for its residents first and foremost.

There's nothing wrong with the resorts having an access to all of these new technologies, the point here being is that they are not helping the community much to be technologically advance as well and to really be benefited by this world's genius. It's just a sad to know that while all these resorts have it all the community where they are located is lacking it.