Technology - Oh, How It Has Changed

Technology - Oh, How It Has Changed 

Growing up with technology and watching social media evolve throughout my childhood, I was not at all surprised to learn that we spend a lot of our time on our devices. From streaming movies and TV shows to endlessly doom-scrolling on TikTok, technology is incorporated into our everyday lives whether we realize it or not. It has greatly impacted our world and influences who we are and the decisions that we make daily. We not only use technology as an easier way to gain internal satisfaction or acquire certain information, but oftentimes, we depend on it.

For example, imagine you're down with the flu and are bedridden for a week, but you still need to get a few items from the store. What is the first thing that you would do? Now, if you're a millennial or Gen. Z, it is very likely that you would go online and purchase your items from big corporations such as Amazon, Instacart, etc., and have them delivered directly to your front door. However, if you're a Baby Boomer or older, you may not be as comfortable with technology since it has become much more advanced over the past few years. One topic discussed in Chapter 1 that relates to this is that a gap exists among each generation regarding their expertise in their use of social media and the internet. This gap is significantly affected by what technology existed as each generation grew up and how well they've been able to adapt to new advances. Older generations, for example, could not grow up watching YouTube videos as a way to pass the time or were unable to FaceTime friends who lived 2000 miles away. Instead, they were able to write a letter to communicate and hope that it didn't get lost in the mail or, if they were lucky enough, they would have a landline phone to communicate. With technology today, it takes a matter of seconds to get in touch with someone. However, not quite everyone is entirely thrilled with how much society utilizes technology to perform everyday simple tasks. In fact, many Baby Boomers and some millennials argue that we rely too heavily on our devices to function. Some believe that when we stare at a screen for countless hours each day, we are ultimately deteriorating our overall health. Others may disagree by stating that those who spend hours a day on social media platforms are not utilizing them properly. They may add that these platforms are intended to help bring people together as a form of communicating, to find immediate news, or to purchase products, not to become obsessed with.

In my own opinion, I think that we rely on our devices too much. Although I believe that there are many advantages that we can get out of using technology and the various platforms that exist, I think that far greater downsides exist. One of the biggest disadvantages of social media, in my opinion, is how much time we waste on it when we could be out living in the real world. For example, this week alone, I have managed to accumulate over 30 hours of screen time just on my phone. That does not account for being on my laptop or watching TV with some friends. To me, that is outrageous that I spent over a whole day of my week on my phone, and the thing is... I don't even realize how much I'm really on it. It's so easy to search for something and then get distracted by a popup ad or click on another link, and before you know it, you've spent an hour watching reels. I guess what I'm really trying to say is that I believe the technology that exists today can be beneficial if it's being used properly, but we shouldn't need to depend on it. We should be able to coexist with our devices and know when it's time to take a step away and go live in the moment.