Technology in My Life (11) (Final)

 

Technology has a major impact on everyone's life whether we are willing to acknowledge it or not. The creation of the internet, iPhones, social media, etc. has impacted society more than words can describe. Just think to yourself, where would we be as a society without all of these advancements in technology? Having said that, technology definitely has its pros and cons. There are certainly many drawbacks despite all the good it has done for society. Technology and social media specifically have had a major impact on this current generation's mental health. The number of young children and teens with mental issues now is insane. So many teens have depression and social anxiety as a result of social media and the overuse of technology. Kids are growing up nowadays staring at a screen for 8 to 10 hours a day which causes them to have a lack of social skills when it comes to in-person interactions. Technology has the ability to impact your life in an amazing way but it also has the ability to impact your life and personality in a very bad way as well. 

Technology in my life has been a fairly positive experience to be quite honest. I feel as though my relationship with technology is a good one for multiple reasons. First off, I believe that my use of technology is a proper amount for where I am at in my life. Being a college student it is a given that I am going to spend a fair amount of my time on my laptop and iPhone. It is completely necessary for students my age to use technology for school in particular. However, there is a fine line between proper use and overusing technology. On occasion, I do find myself scrolling on social media for a little too long but once I catch myself I try to stop myself. I went to a middle school and high school where Ipads and laptops were provided to all students so I am used to using technology a fair amount. I believe that this has helped me create a healthier relationship with technology. This is because over time I have learned how to manage my time regarding using my laptop and my phone. 

Moving on, social media has also had quite a large part of my life so far. Social media has the power to empower someone to do great things but it also has the ability to completely destroy someone. We live in a modern age where being a social media influence can be a full-time job. This has definitely attributed to the overuse of social media in the past 5 to 10 years. Many people my age buy into so many things they see on social media. Anything someone may see on social media they will believe which is pretty sad. Just because someone with a large following is promoting a product, endorsing a movement, or stating their opinion on a controversial topic, people will believe it. Personally, I do not buy into that sort of stuff. I try to not allow social media presence to affect my everyday life and my thought process/opinions. I believe that everyone should have their own personal thoughts and opinions and not let social media account influence that. I mainly use Instagram and Snapchat out of the more popular apps. I never really got into Twitter and Facebook that much other than needing Facebook for high school sports. Admittedly I was definitely more into social media when I was a bit younger and probably used it a little too much. However, as of late I have really tried to limit my time spent on social media. This is because I believe that too much use of social media is toxic for the brain. Mindlessly scrolling for hours on end with no purpose is not a good way to spend your time and it is one of the least productive activities you can do at my age. At my age, there are so many opportunities out there in this world it is just your job to get up and act upon them. That is not to say that plenty of opportunities don't come from social media because they do. You are able to make money doing just about anything on social media and you are also able to learn so much information that can benefit you. It is all about balance, too much of anything can kill you and in my opinion, too much social media use can be toxic to someone's mental health and productivity levels. 

Lastly, I will be talking about my digital footprint. A digital footprint is something that stays with you you're entire life. There is no way to completely erase a digital footprint forever. Think of it this way, every time you visit a website or do something on the internet you are tattooing your footprint permanently. Being able to think of a digital footprint this way has helped me be mindful of my presence on the internet. Growing up my parents and teachers would always remind me to be mindful of my digital footprint and what I post online. Fortunately, I have never really been concerned about my digital footprint because I do post anything I wouldn't want my parents or an employer to see. A lot of times I like to keep my thoughts and experiences to myself and my friends. Especially in today's day and age with cancel culture becoming such a big issue. A lot of times in today's landscape you cannot confidently state your opinion on a controversial topic without being judged or "canceled" by others. I personally hate this and I feel as though it is taking away people's ability to express their opinion to others which in turn provides people with a new perspective and as well as a great learning opportunity. Going forward I will continue to be mindful of what I do post and share online.