I think it's just another example of the general trend everywhere. There "needs" to be a high-tech solution to everything, even the simplest things. To add to that, people are used to being catered to on their own terms...to get things when "they" want them, not having to accommodate to anyone else's schedule, and to have things done for them, rather than do them themselves.
While I use some of these gadgets myself, I don't really think they're an answer to anything that matters. If I can't take the time, in my visit to Yosemite, to go on a ranger-led tour or something similar, then maybe I don't deserve to know what I'd have learned. Or maybe I should just study up ahead of time, or read and learn.
I can see this coming on the Half Dome trail. Visitors download a "tour" to their ipods, then plug them in and walk along the trail, listening to "Now you're coming to Vernal Falls bridge. Check your water and make sure you have at least....". Or they could just plug in along the way and reload info as they go; "you're now at the cables, with a height of .... These cables were installed by... in...., now open your backpack and get out your gloves. The red one goes on your left hand, the blue on the right...8^)
Unfortunately, this means that instead of a person doing the tour, giving human interaction and experiences (and giving them a job), some guy in an office in New York or Cleveland will most likely be the one getting paid to produce these virtual tours. And we'll have even more people walking around with headphones plugged in to their ears, instead of taking in their environment.
I do computer system design, assembly and troubleshooting, have a laptop, mp3 player (not ipod!!), GPS handheld, cell phone (a simple one), digital cameras, etc., and think they're useful, but overall I think all of this stuff is overrated. I'd rather have a ranger tell me about his/her experiences with bears than have a "bear" file on my mp3 player that I punch in when I see a bear, which instructs me what to do. A GPS is a nice addition to safety devices, but no substitute for knowing where you're going and using common sense. Cell phones are obvious...a good thing gone bad...people can't walk through a grocery store without one stuck to their ear, let alone pay attention to their driving.
My nephew, a while back, was sitting in our minivan after we'd gotten out, waiting for the sliding door to open...took him a while to figure out that it was one of those ancient manual things...8^) I suspect, to make up for the lack of exercise, he'll go to a gym to keep his muscles in tone, attended by a virtual personal trainer, someday. What a useful item those electronic doors are.
Anyway, to reply to the original question, no, I don't think we need this at all, but I do think it's inevitable. It would be nice if someday people start to figure out that they're going nowhere with all these "improvements". But I suspect some will figure it out, say "that's enough" and toss the excess (which frankly, is most of it). I doubt that I'll be downloading any of these virtual tours, definitely not if they're ipod-only, but at least it will be quiet around Yosemite, with everyone walking around listening to their headphones. What a great family experience, a family of six walking along with their individual sets of headphones plugged in, experiencing "togetherness", yet each in their own world. 8^)
Gary
Yosemite Photo Galleries: http://www.pbase.com/roberthouse/yo
