I was taking a moment to sit and relax... a breather from the work I was doing and a thought struck me that I realized I wanted to explore via a blogpost. That thought is the importance of setting up boundaries for ourselves and our consumption of technology and media in the 21st century. These smartphones that so many of us "privileged" human beings have on our bodies at all times are very much altering our experience of life as humans. There is no denying that access to the internet, email, and other social media has shockingly positive impacts on all of us. We are able to conduct business and build relationships across continents, time zones, and cultures. People with obscure interests are able to connect to others globally with the same interests. Community is very much available at the click of a button. And the social understanding of other races / cultures that the internet is fostering is truly beautiful.
However, I believe there are also some serious negative impacts of what these computers on our bodies are doing. Each application or program is designed by very smart individuals whose best interest is to keep you "the user" using their application. This results in us having numerous applications that have been expertly designed to grab and hold our attention. Have you ever found yourself realizing you just spent 45 minutes on Facebook scrolling through strangers lives when you initially went there to drop a quick message to a friend? I'm guilty... that's for sure.
It takes a very large amount of self-awareness and discipline to be able to deny these psychological triggers that email, instagram, facebook, twitter, etc. have built in and it's excruciatingly important that we realize these apps have a hold on us. I'm terrified by myself and the prison that these apps keep me in at times. Demanding my attention with a little red dot.
I worry that we (humans) are running down the technology hill faster than our legs can really carry us. We can't stop running otherwise we'll fall... but we sure as hell aren't in control anymore. Technological innovations are coming at a pace that is so much quicker than what our brain's can aptly adapt to. I worry that we're becoming lemmings... not questioning whether or not we should engage in a behavior simply because the vast majorities of our peers are. Are we running down a hill and right off a cliff?
I sure hope not.
-Things I think I think