Dependency or real companionship?

Hong Kong

Every evening it’s the same ritual, sitting in front of the TV together. Under one hand she keeps her cat, under the other is her computer. Kate would do anything for her kitty and she’d do almost anything to save her computer… she still has the old one in a drawer in her desk…unable to part with it long after it’s titanium shell has gone cold. “I’ve lost my memory for all these years! All my photos from before 2006 were on that hard drive. It just went dead one day but I just can’t throw it away. I’m hoping someday it will recover or be resurrected.”

One tends not to think about it until it happens, but the time spent with our digital companions is limited… the relationship might end suddenly, without warning, it might succumbed to a virus or accident, it might experience a slow, heart-wrenching demise. Either way it can be emotionally devastating.

Truth: …it doesn’t have to have a heartbeat to build a deep connection and forge an irreplaceable relationship. Our digital companions at their best are loyal and rewarding… you give/it gives back, it understands your habits and responds to your idiosyncrasies. Probably more like a friend than pet, it can even become a chronicle of your experiences and even a surrogate memory.