Technology is a wonderful tool that can be used for the greater good as well as being used for less than honest intentions. We are using it or partaking of it every day and most of us use it almost every minute of the day. It has become a part of our lives whether we like it or not.

Technology can be used for reading and downloading documents and books that we wouldn’t normally have access to even ten years ago. I remember in high school almost twenty-five years ago that the internet was just becoming a thing to use for research, but we still relied on periodical journals, indexes, card catalogs, and files kept by the librarians for research. We even used encyclopedias for research and basic data. To say that we didn’t have all the options then that we do have nowadays is an understatement.

To say that was a bad thing is not true. We might have had more limited resources, but everything was on paper. Information could still be easily accessed. It was time-consuming to do the research, but you thought carefully about your research. You learned to really read what you were studying and draw some accurate and thoughtful conclusions. You learned how to do research and make an informed decision about what you were reading.

The very easy access to information now can be mind-boggling. Even though we can see dwindling access to information on the internet due to censorship, we still have unparalleled access to almost any information we want to access. Not all information is accurate which makes forming an informed decision difficult sometimes. People now read one article on the internet and claim it to be gospel. People can write anything anywhere and claim themselves to be an expert. There is no editor from a publication claiming that they need to add more information or substantiate their claims. 

In other words, some of the information you are getting may not be true or fact-based. While that can be a problem, most people do not care or understand that until they go to try the very thing they printed off or downloaded. Even then, they may not admit that it was not true.

While I am a huge fan of paper books and printing off anything I want to keep on the internet, I can see the appeal of electronic media for prepping. It is handy and easy. You save the downloads to a device or a flash drive and you have the information ready for use. Electronic readers like Kindles and Nooks can hold a lot of books and function pretty much like an Ipad. You can save a lot of downloads on Ipads and cell phones now too. Flash drives and external hard drives hold a lot of data now.  They have made most of these devices usable without a wi-fi or data connection as long as you have the books and documents downloaded.

The ease of these electronic devices is really quite astonishing. Having watched technology progress from clunky desktop computers that used dial-up to connect to the internet/ethernet, I’m truly in awe of what can be done with it now. I can see why a lot of people want to use them in prepping and make them a part of their overall plans. All that information in one small device? Sign me up too.

However, I see a lot of pitfalls to using electronic devices for prepping. I believe in prepping for everyday events as well as the big SHTF events. For the everyday events that we all prepare for, electronic devices are not a bad thing. In fact, most have a good enough battery to keep going for a few days and can easily be charged with battery back-ups or power pack to last a few more days (depending on the amount of use it gets). More than likely, you will not lose power or lose power for a long time in everyday events or even natural disasters. Most shelters and churches will let you power your devices in cases like this.

In long term events, electronic media will not be your friend. If power is out for a long period of time and you do not have good solar chargers, you will lose the ability to use electronic devices. If an EMP or something similar hits, your devices could be dead right away if not minutes. Your battery packs and external chargers will eventually need to be charged themselves (usually after 3-6 times of use). Again, unless you have a good solar charger, you will lose the use of those. If the wi-fi and cell phone towers are down, you will not be able to access anything not downloaded. Some devices may quit working if not regularly updated or receiving updates.

If you are storing information on flash drives and external hard drives, that is great. They come in handy to store information when everything is working great. However, they also rely on computers and electronic devices to work and to able to access the information. If the power is out for an extended period of time, computers will not be able to work since they rely on electricity to work. Laptops only last as long as the battery does. If you have a way to make your computers work with solar power, that is good. You will also need surge protectors for the plug-ins and the solar power system as well in case the power surges during a natural disaster or an SHTF event. Lightning has an amazing ability to take out anything electric that is not protected with surge protectors.

In short term events, using electronic devices and media is still plausible and probably completely doable. You will still be able to access your downloaded books and papers more than likely. You should be able to easily charge your devices with back up power packs and using power at other places.

In long term events, a paper reference library and files will be the way to go. You may feel like an old-fashioned librarian, but you will have the information you need at your fingertips. If you have downloads on your devices that you want to be able to access at any given time, you need to print them off and put them in a file or a binder. By doing this, you know you will be able to access any information you need when you need it. While you should learn the skills and the information you want to have at your fingertips, having a paper reference for back-up will be worth the effort.

Thanks for reading,
Erica

Related posts:
What Happens When The Computers Suddenly Don’t Work Anymore?
Does Anyone Really Know What Will Happen After An SHTF Event Happens?

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