Stop and think, for just a moment, about how many ways technology pervades your life. If this were a trivia question, you’d probably head right to Google or another search engine and look up information bites like “What was the first Internet search engine?” The answer: Archie. That alone — our tendency to consult a search engine with questions instead of an actual expert — is indicative of a general shift from person-to-person interaction to person-through-technology instead.

Try to do without any Internet searches for a day and you’ll quickly see just how much you depend on this technology — and how easily that dependence weaves into the fabric of your life. But that’s not the only way technology has woven itself into your life. Once bulky, heavy monsters, cellular phones are now so common that some people don’t bother with a landline. And the latest generation of smart phones makes it look like Tricorders of Star Trek fame may not be far behind.

How do you get your television? The old-fashioned analog model is no longer an option, and a few people do get their television through an old-fashioned cable outlet. But satellite TV, streaming television through the Internet and direc tv have become much more common. Downloading your favorite television shows and movies gives you the flexibility of determining where and when you watch, and weeding out most of the commercials.

This is just the start. As technological development continues to accelerate throughout the years, we’ll see more “fantastical imaginings” of the past becoming real. The only question is, can you control how you use technology? Can you retain the gift of real human connection, or will you become one of those text-addicts that sends thumb messages to the person right beside her instead of actually turning around to talk? Each generation evolves under its own terms, but the coming generation appears ready to change the playing field forever.