Technology is a wonderful thing, and in many respects, I am grateful for it. Because of it, people can contact authorities quickly in an emergency, workplaces are more efficient, there have been groundbreaking developments in the world of medicine, we can exchange information across the world instantly and so much more. There are so many benefits to technology that I wouldn’t want to live without it, but have we gotten to a point where we abuse it?
The other day I was in a waiting room and was very surprised to see a little boy using a coloring book. After thinking about it for a second, I realized how sad that was. How is it, that it is more surprising to see a kid without an electronic in their hand than with one?
I’m finding that whenever I go to a restaurant it’s a rarity to see a child without an iPad in hand. I understand that it can be used as a resource to occupy children and help them behave in a public space, but iPads have existed for six years, little kids have been going to dinner with their parents for much longer and have been just fine. Kids are given tablets as a coping mechanism for when they’re at a place they don’t necessarily want to be. While I see the benefits to that, it’s teaching children that it’s ok to be glued to a screen when you are supposed to be having human interaction.
While I am in the generation that has grown up with all sorts of groundbreaking technology, I worry for the children 10 plus years younger than me who are growing up entirely behind a screen. Only time will tell how they are able to interact with others as they grow up, but I can’t help but feel like technology will take away from their social development.
I’m not going to pretend like I am not guilty of being attached to my phone. I have it on me a majority of the day, and I spend far too much time on it rather than taking in what’s going on around me. While I may be a little late to the party, I’m starting to see what a detriment it is. I’ve found that when I’ve been having a conversation with somebody and for whatever reason I check my phone or vice versa, the value of the conversation deteriorates. Some of my friends and I have been at dinner and realized that before the meal we are all attached to our phones. Now we play the game, “whoever touches their phone first picks up the check.” Not one of us have broken it, and we haven’t ever run out of things to talk about. Whether we realize it or not, by focusing on your phone rather than who you are with, it’s as if the person in front of you isn’t as important as whoever is on the other side of the screen. While there are exceptions, for example, you need to let a person know where you are or get back to them with something, our overuse of technology is taking away from the value of human interaction. By constantly using our phones, we are missing out on what is happening directly in front of us.
I can’t help but feel like technology has become a bit of an addiction. I feel like people have started to do things just for the purpose of posting it on their Snapchat story or Instagram rather than for the sake of doing it for themselves. It seems like many of us feel the need to post every exciting thing that goes in our day to day lives instead of just living without an audience. In many states, there have been laws put in place with the hopes of preventing distracted drivers as a result of texting and social media usage. There has been news, media, and several educational programs which have promoted awareness on the potential detriments from texting and driving. While driving down the road, it is still common to see inattentive drivers as a result of using their phones.
While technology gives us the power to become in touch with the world around us, I believe in many ways we can become out of touch with what’s happening right before our eyes. It’s important we are more conscientious of our technology usage and that we become aware of how setting down our electronic devices can benefit us in our day to day lives.
What do you think?
