My relationship with technology cannot be defined as either healthy or unhealthy, as I wonder if anyone’s relationship with it can be defined as such. The reality of the positives of the internet, social media, iPhones, computers, and all other new innovations cannot be hidden. Due to recent technology, I have made progress in my education, continued relationships with friends, family, and significant others, and have been able to access an innumerable amount of resources previously impossible.
Contrary to those who grew up years before us, this new generation has been raised surrounded by technology. Since we have been around it all our lives, imagining a world before these inventions seems foreign. All our lives, every answer lies at the click of a button. But, this bank of endless knowledge comes with a price.
Due to these technologies’ presence in my life as a child, my dreams for my life blossomed into what they are today. As a kid, I loved to write, tell stories, and watch movies. That passion for storytelling and film led me to studying media production in college. Without these media technologies, my path of storytelling would be widely different.
Personally, I recognize an extreme dependence towards the technology I use on a daily basis. I struggle to stay off of my phone for extended periods of time; I fall back on social media when I have an available slot in my daily schedule; I look towards the internet for answers before attempting to solve things myself. These inclinations pose a threat to me because I have allowed new technologies to vest themselves into who I am. The University of the People writes about the dependence of people on technology here.
Now, as I have grown into an adult and have the ability to take charge of most areas of my life, I try to limit myself in my dependence on technology. As I have recognized the threat they can serve, I actively try to work against that. I want to ensure that I use my brain to the capacity it is built to serve, and so any time I can push myself to learn something in a rigorous way, the more I feel it will click. But, being able to use technology can also push me further along than I would get without it. So, balancing that dichotomy is something I must do per situation.
Technology is, again, a positive and negative in the scope of social connection. Social media allows for staying in touch with people through any distance. Immediate texts and calls allow for communication no matter where someone might be. I have been able to stay in touch with my long-distance girlfriend through phone calls, FaceTimes, and texting. This is a new form of interpersonal connection that could not be done in prior years. These positives come with their negatives, where it is easy to become lost in the technology and lose sight of real-world connections. Many people, while capable of connecting with larger social circles, remain feeling isolated. The National Library of Medicine writes about this, and can be read about here.
Today, the world struggles to balance the power of technology as over-consumption becomes a slippery slope. It is easy to waste time on social media, or give the internet access to your whole life, or waste no energy in thinking when you can look up the answer. Hopefully, the pendulum will swing in the direction of control, as technology will only continue to develop, it is up to us to decide how dependent we will be upon it.
This surge of new technology is also an opportunity for more ways to convey important messages. Before, people were limited to their surroundings when telling important information. Now, there is an influx of information at every moment in every medium. This gives possibility to anyone to say what they feel called to say.
Technology has its pros and cons, its highs and lows, as does everything. To try to judge it one way or the other would be a disservice to reality. The important judgement is how it will affect oneself, and to keep it under control in whatever way it might serve one’s life.
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