Final Blog Post!

Technology has changed the way we interact in good and bad ways. My personal experience with technology started when I was only 9 when I got my first iPod. I couldn't message and I couldn't call but I could use it for music. My parents restricted the internet and all social media platforms off of my iPod and I remember being so upset about it. But I now know why.

At 13 I got my first phone where the restrictions were lifted but my parents made me sign an agreement that I was never to post or send anything that would be diminishing to my personal image, they explained to me how the internet can ruin people's lives. My parents were brilliant at making sure I understood the weight of the power of owning technology. 

I think one of the best moments I've had with technology is over covid. Connecting with my family and friends was only able to be done over technologies such as Zoom and Facetime. That I believe is the one time I truly had an appreciation for technology. 

Other than that I believe the use of technology only has certain benefits to certain people. Everyone uses technology in different ways. The way I use technology as a 19-year-old in college who works remote internships is much different than my father a 50-year-old in-person employee as a partner for a tax firm.

I use my technology to be able to get my work done, to get my grades up, and to email back and forth with teachers. I haven't had a single assignment since I got to college that has been passed in on paper. 

When it came to college I had to be on technology a lot more than I liked, my screen time went up on my phone staying in contact with my friends and family who were almost 12 hours away. I believe my relationship with technology though it has strengthened is worse than it was before. 

I believe my relationship now with technology is unhealthy. My work-life balance isn't positive because I can always be "on call" cause all our lives are based on this technology. The remote internship I'm currently working on has me on the clock 2-6 on weekdays. But when I open my laptop and have work to get done and I can see my boss already sent me my daily to-do list I am more than likely to push work aside to try to get ahead of my internship load for the day. I work almost 8-7 now whether that includes school work and/or internship work. I'll even do work on the weekends because heck why not? My laptop is right here, I don't have an office I need to head into. I can just open my laptop up and start working for as long as I want.

This is an unhealthy relationship with technology. The feeling you can't put it down or that you have to keep working can have negative impacts on your mental health and your emotions can become unbalanced and you start to feel a sense that your whole life is never going to stop with work.

This factor truly hit during COVID-19. Prior to Covid, I had never heard of remote working. My dad worked full time in an office and went to work 9-5 Monday through Friday. My mom was a yoga instructor at a yoga studio so she only worked part-time. But the day covid hit all of a sudden they were both home 24/7. My dad would take conference calls from his room and my mom would film her yoga classes. But the same problem also happened to them. Since there was inherently nothing to do during covid their jobs started sort of taking over their life because it gave them purpose and something to do. The struggle with this though is that it was all online. In front of laptop screens and tablets all day and all night.

I personally think the people with the healthiest relationships with technology are the older generations. I mean most of them do hate the advancements so it truly would change if they liked the advancements but we can take my grandfather for example. He has an Android phone and an iPad. He uses his phone for texts and calls and that's about it. That's how he communicates with his family. He uses his iPad for reading the news and books in his free time. I believe that when we learn that a. phone should merely just be a communication device the stronger we can make the in-person connections around us.

My last story actually takes place in the fall semester of 2022 at my friend's house. He had all invited us over for the weekend at his house in NC. We got there and relaxed hung out and then the power went out. His mom told us it should be back on before we know it but little did we know we would actually be without power for the next 24 hours. At first, it sucked. There was no cell data at my friends' house cause he sort of lives off the beaten path. But I now consider this one of my favorite moments of sophomore year. We all turned our phones off after an hour of realizing they weren't going to turn on. We lit some candles, played board games, talked about college, and our futures. It truly was the night I became the closest with my friends. All because we lost power. 

One of the worst parts about technology is the fact that when you're on it you're constantly in contact with other people and you aren't present in the moment with the people you're with. This can make the people you are with feel unappreciated. When I hang out with my friends nowadays I will put my phone on do not disturb to ensure I don't look at my phone. Seeing all the notifications coming in is too much for me and I have no personal control. With do not disturb I can take a break and relax. 

I guess at the end of my post my conclusion would be to not let technology control your life. I know I let it control mine a lot and I would love to work harder on strengthening my relationships outside of my phone by putting it down and allowing myself to take a break. Because we all deserve a break from the fast-paced world of technology.