Forget the iPhone.

According to Apple on Monday, pre-orders for iPhone 5 surpassed 2 million in the first 24 hours of availability.

At first glance there might not be any reason to complain. Twelve-year-olds are probably dying to get their hands on a new gadget. But the obsession with this new device does raise concern about our misplaced fixation on technology.

We are all very lucky to live in age of exponential technological growth. Every year brings us seemingly closer to a utopian age of easy living. However, we’re not focusing on the right kind of advancement.

Ask a random student here at Fairfield University how many times humanity has successfully landed exploratory technology on the surface of Mars.

Thought the Curiosity Rover was the first time? You may not be alone.

Now go and talk to a random student about the iPhone.

Is it important that this new phone can capture a crisper picture, post it to Instagram faster, and display it at a larger resolution for our enjoyment? Or should we be focusing on unlocking the secrets held by the greater universe, hidden in our own history, and untapped in our own world?

Take James Cameron for example. Yes, one might argue that he is just as guilty of feeding into the trend of superficial gratification through technology. But by using the money made through his creative endeavours, Cameron is now backing a project that will mine asteroids for resources. Yeah, kind of like the movie “Armageddon.”

You may ask how this trend of misguided focus is your fault. After all, you’re not James Cameron.

But how many discussions have you had about the iPhone 5 this week?

And how many discussions have you had about topics such as free energy or space exploration?

Discussion is the first step in progress. We come closer and closer everyday to a time when we will be the generation running the world.

It’s imperative to imagine the world we want it to be. Now ask yourself this: Do you want Earth to be a place where your phone can also serve as a portable microwave, or a place where wars over fossil fuels is a tale of the past?