Semiautomatic

Yesterday, while running a few errands, I had an experience that left me amused and in a contemplative state of mind. It was my first stop of the afternoon, so I was still relatively focused and had yet to become mentally numb from the exhaustion associated with making required purchases at multiple locations. After locking my car doors with my automatic remote, I walked to the entrance of the retail store without any additional distractions. As I approached the double-door entry, I saw myself pause in mid step. My right foot was planted, but my left was slightly suspended in the air as if waiting to project itself forward.

Just as I started to question the delayed registration of movement that would activate the automatic door, I realized that the door was not automatic. So there I was, pausing in mid step waiting for a door to open that, actually, was waiting to be opened manually. It couldn’t have been more than a few seconds of hesitation, but it was enough to spark laughter as well as initiate an entertaining internal dialogue.

Once I was certain no one had actually seen this display of misinterpreted expectation, I began reviewing the historical steps that had gotten me to this point. There was a time when I manually rolled car windows down, lifted garage doors open, located radio stations with a knob, and locked car doors. And there are still circumstances that require such physical exertion, including the opening of doors. However, many inventions have been created that assist in the completion of a task. While automatic options can be convenient, they can also minimize control and eliminate situational judgment, as is the case with automatic sprinklers in a rainstorm or Microsoft Word formatting.

It appears that the evolution of our technology has not only influenced the ways in which we complete tasks, but our behavior as well. Is it possible we, too, have become semiautomatic with regard to our expectations?