Turning off the technology is a powerful feeling

    Technology. A blessing? A curse? Or something in between?

The recent increase in technology usage can be seen in different lights. Some may see their blessed iPhone as a beacon of light. It is something to wrap their life around and keep themselves together, through social media, events, and various forms of communication.

    Others see cell phones and other devices as quite the contrary, something that sucks up free time like a vaccuum, and turns bright-eyed teenagers into glazed-eyed zombies.

    While I see the points from both arguments, I can’t help but lean more toward the side of anti-technology. Has it become too much?

    Look around you. Where is your cell phone right now? Chances are it’s no more than a few feet away. It has become the norm for people today to attach a cell phone at the hip (almost literally).

    Have you ever misplaced your cell phone? Chances are you have. Everyone knows that stomach-dropping feeling of not quite knowing where you cellular device could be. This dependency on such a small device is a bit frightening for me. What happens if our battery dies in the middle of nowhere? No online map to guide us? No ability to communicate?

   Our lives today are so revolved around technology, that I fear for the day when we may not be able to  use it. Our abilities to do simple tasks may have decreased. How many in the next generation will know how to read a map? Memorize important phone numbers? Even use a dictionary? Perhaps it’s time we relied a bit less on such online privileges.

    I cannot say that I am not guilty of overusing technology. Although I don’t have an iPhone, I do have an iPod touch that I use fairly frequently. I see people walk through the halls, eyes glued to a tiny screen. Kids in their classrooms, ignoring the teacher for a quick game of 2048. I worry that these types of distractions will continue to blot our minds and take away a certain sense of reality. For example, I know I’ve probably spent far too much time scrolling through social media, searching for something interesting to catch my eye.

    This is all well and good, but, could it be possible that it’s become too much? It is a perfect example of wasting time on something more or less unnecessary.

    Could this time have been used more wisely reading a book? Talking to friends? Probably.

    Of course there are obviously pros to these kinds of technology. Smart phones help us gain new information with the click of a button. Laptops allow an essay to be written and shared in the minimum time needed. Facebook and other forms of media allow connections to loved ones across the globe.

    I agree with all of these points. However, I simply see the technology usage today as a bit excessive. I hope that we as the youth of America will slow down this pace of increasing usage of technology.

    There’s nothing wrong with checking in with Facebook to catch up on what’s been happening. There’s nothing wrong with a few Youtube videos. There’s nothing wrong with a little technology to enhance your day. However, I feel as though there could be something wrong with too much technology.

    So enjoy your iPhones, laptops, iPods, and others, but every now and then, take a break. Go for a walk. Read a book. Change it up.

    Someday technology may become too much. So, what’s the harm in toning it down a notch? Nothing. 🙂

–Dec. 14, 2015–