Technology has without a doubt done incredible things for the world. I personally do not know a time without technology or wireless internet. Even if I tired to imagine a life like that, I wouldn’t be able to. I think it is safe to say that the internet runs our lives (or at least it definitely does for me). In the article “Smartphones revolutionize our lives—but at what cost?”, Yudhijit Bhattacharjee spoke about his phone in the most spot on manner. He said “For that moment of connection, and many others like it, my phone deserves my gratitude. But the same device has become a source of relentless distraction in my life, intruding upon my attention with frightening regularity and diminishing my in-person interactions with family and friends.” Yes, cellphones have revolutionized the way we live but they have also diminished the beauty of it as well. When I think about my phone, I could go on and on about all the things that I could do with it and I could confidently say that I cannot live without it. On top of the regular cellphone aspects of being able to contact anyone from anywhere whether it is from a phone call or a text message, I can listen to music, do some online shopping, take pictures, play games, go on any and every social media platform, read a book, do my homework and the list goes on. All of this is at my fingertips no matter where I go and no matter the time but can quickly became overbearing. Bhattacharjee goes on to say, “These benefits, however, seem to have come at a high cost to our mental and social lives.” Because we are always connected, sometimes it’s hard to disconnect. I’ve be trying to work on it but when I go out to dinner, I have to instagram my food because if I don’t… did it even happen? Or going to any event and instagramming any moment of it because you “have” to. Or being around friends and family and not being able to put your phone down because you are too busy scrolling. These are all examples of how phones have taken over our social lives but it is much deeper for our mental health. The best example I could give would be back in March when COVID-19 took over, we were BOMBARDED with information. No matter what you were doing on your phone. you were getting constant information about it and that easily became overbearing, especially in a time where everyone was quarantined and the only thing we could do was sit at home and be on our phones.
As great as technology has come, I’ve come to the understanding that it is important to set up boundaries and put my phone down. It has taken over my life and although I still believe that I cannot live without it, a couple of hours a day won’t hurt.
