Tonight as I was returning from the bookstore – where I purchased a copy of Web Analytics 2.0 – I was following a black Matrix that made the short trip through Honolulu difficult. This car slowed down to a near stop at every block, hesitated for second, then continued on. This process repeated at every block.

I assumed by the glow of the GPS unit atop the dash that the confused driver was waiting for the unit to tell him where to go. Finally, he took a left turn and I assume he arrived at his destination. I’ll never know.

This whole incident reminded me of the Oregon couple who got stuck in the snow for three days after being guided by their GPS unit to take a back road. I’m glad the couple are safe, however, it seems pretty dumb of them to take an unsafe route in the middle of winter simply because a phone tells you to.

This led me to a couple questions.

Have we become so dependent on technology that we cannot make decisions for ourselves anymore without technological assistance? Have we become so lazy that we’d rely on our gadgets, gizmos and widgets to make important decisions for us?

I, myself, am guilty. Anyone that knows me knows I am constantly checking my phone. In fact, as I was at the bookstore this evening, I was researching books on my phone’s browser.

The important thing to question is how much we will these new advances dictate our behavior. Will these cool new shiny things be a tool for us to use or a crutch? Has the constant availability of a vast wealth of knowledge diminished the ability of the general public to think critically?