A4 Rihla #18

---

Hello fellow blogger's! Today's topic is the GPS system.
In the article I read, Is GPS All in Our Heads?, it stated that the GPS has negative effects on this era and is making this generation more technology dependent. The author also stated that we naturally make "mental maps" through landmarks when we explore new territory. Using a GPS can contradict your natural skills and sense of direction. Although Google maps and other forms of GPS can save people time from getting lost, there is a fine line between useful technology and a crutch.
My reaction to this article is that I agree, but I love Google maps so I am a little bias at this point. I agree with the author because when I travel somewhere out of Chicago, perhaps a different state, when I am traveling to and from the hotel I can remember certain landmarks like gas stations, convenient stores, or malls etc. When I use Google maps, which is very often, it is not as easy to remember a route that I previously entered so I have to keep reentering it whenever I want to use that route until I finally memorize it. However, I still think the GPS is a great tool because I know I will never get lost with them.
This relates to what we are learning in class because explorers used physical maps and the GPS was not invented so they probably remembered routes a lot quicker.

---