Final post

   

When thinking about technology one may not think about how much technology is intertwined in their life. For me technology hasn't always been around, I was lucky enough to grow up without a phone attached to my hip or having my parents give me an Ipad to calm me down. I played outside, I used my imagination to keep myself entertained and I believe this is what made me who I am today. 

    Technology in my life plays a big role, as much as I would love for it not to; I use technology almost all day everyday. In order to do anything school related now a-days you need to have a computer or tablet, anything that can access the internet. Every assignment is done online via BlackBoard or any other site a professor might have the student use. As much as it is efficient and beneficial to the environment is is not healthy for us. When viewing the video created by Michael Andrews and Gary Jules many emotions came over me. It was hard not to have a jaw dropping moment as this was one of the best representations of what our world has become, everyone is an addict. 

    This video made me think about my daily activity on the internet, social media, school websites, video streaming like Netflix, Hulu, and so much more. I feel like I have an unhealthy relationship with technology because of how much my life relies on it. I do not feel as though technology is a tool that I use to make myself smarter but I also don't think that technology is making me stupid.

    Although not everything is online is true there are ways to fact check your sources and find reliable information. I want to believe that I do not let myself get fooled by false information or rumors that float around on social media and even certain news channels because I know that not everything online is real. I have only thought about the questions of do having a healthy relationship with technology, does technology take up most of my time, do I think technology/internet is teaching me or misleading me, maybe a handful of times. In my opinion I don't think many people ever really think about these questions because of how scary the answers can be. Some people may think that they aren't on their phones that much or that they barley watch T.V. but when faced with reality and having to look back on all the times you picked your phone up and aimlessly scrolled through Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, or binged a whole season in a day is mortifying.

    Technology can be fun and an easy way to pass time or distract yourself from what is going on but it can lead to many mental health issues. According to a mental health article technology can lead to stress, anxiety, depression, and can impact social skills, cognitive functions, and so much more. Social media and the internet allow various outlets for things like cyberbullying and many unintended consequences. Social media is a place where people are able to leave hateful comments or sit and compare theirselves to others. 

    There are pros and cons to having this much availability to technology and the internet but it is important to understand the appropriate times to use it and especially what age to start introducing technology into a persons life.