technological advancements are the world's bullhorns for saying, "don't slow down!"

Why are we all fascinated by other people's lives?

Is it because we think the grass is greener on the other side? Or is it because we know the grass isn't necessarily greener on the other side, but it sure as heck has to be better than being on this side?
Is it because our curiosity just chokes us that much? Do we want to learn from other people's lives or identify with them and find relief that there's someone else in the world who feels the same way we feel?

I know I tell people I feel old nowadays, becoming an upper-classman in college this fall, and watching my younger brothers and sisters grow up so fast, but I've been thinking a lot about how much our culture has changed and how fast it's been moving even within my lifetime thus far. Even with all these issues of marriage arising everywhere in my life. It reminds me that I'm still actually pretty young, and even so, our advancements in technology and the pace of change in our culture has been growing faster than I've been growing older.

It hit me today that I'll be turning 20 this year - that's TWO decades.

I thought about this show I saw (on the history channel I believe) when I was over at U.P. one time a couple of weeks ago. It was about technology of the 90s, which caught my attention because obviously I grew up during those times.
And it put me in perspective: 10-15 years ago, people had to write their discertations on typewriters that had no backspace. During the same time, cell phones were as big as your forearm and computers were as heavy as two kids' weights put togeether, with a itty bitty screen.

Nowadays, things have gotten tinier, things have gotten smarter, and things have gotten faster and easier.

While I was growing up, touch-screens used to be icons for futuristic ideals in movies and tv shows. Today, it's the norm. Many people have touch-screen devices in their pocket, let alone in a big company or agency.

Everything is moving quickly, and as my summer has been forcing my life to slow down, I've begun to see the world with different eyes. It's like I've been letting the world pull me through this tornado of norm, and now I've realized I've been getting sucked in.

Ah, this ties in with communication and how technology has changed the way we all communicate with one another. But again, I will save this for another day. I'm telling you, these main thoughts in my head - passion, celebrities, technology - they're all intertwined with each other and with my own thoughts about my life and my future as well.