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Technology has not been a part of my entire life I'd say up until high school. It has now taken over a large part of my life. Technology, mostly my Iphone, has caused a lot of positives and negatives in my life. I have found myself extremely attached to my phone and am constantly checking to see notifications and spend hours a day on it. I notice that my screen time skyrockets on days where I do not have much going on. Some weeks my average screen time is over 6 hours a day. This is normal now a days in this generation, however but when I look back all I know is that I was just scrolling and liking and having basic conversation in which I can't even remember. I am starting to realize that I give technology too much of my time and that I need to focus more on the present, spending time with my friends and family that is in front of me and not on the digital screen. It can be very toxic at times and I start to realize how much comparison, false information, and fake relationships and lives are presented. Our lives are determined by the square that we hold in our hands all day long. I catch myself panicking if I were to loose my photos, notes, contacts, and connections.
Technology has given me a lot of information, however sometimes it is not reliable or fact checked. Especially with news, if i see a story on Instagram or TikTok that intrigues me, I tend to go to a real news outlet and double check the credibility before believing the first thing I see. Our world is so quick to believe anything they see online through technology, without doing their research to find out the truth. Even though a lot of the truth tries to be hidden by the government and regulated, it can be found.
I would say my friends and my generation age range spends the same amount of time that I do with technology during the day. We all have social media, spend time scrolling on TikTok and following on Instagram, as well as content texting with friends. However, my parents and family do not nearly spend the time I spend on technology, other than if it is their computer for work. They check Facebook maybe once a day, and use most of their technology towards texting or calling friends and family on the phone.
After Googling myself, I have checked my online presence and find it acceptable, especially while I am in the job market search. My LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, VSCO, Facebook, and some high school sport records show up. I post a lot on Instagram and TikTok but that is part of my work as a content creator, and I have made sure to paint myself in a positive light with my fashion posts as work with companies and my own personal brand, which correlates to the job I am looking for in Social Media Marketing. I would never post anything that I would not want my family or anyone else to view. I have always been taught by my parents to be careful with what you put out on the Internet and how people can view you based on what you give them as anything posted is there forever and can come back for you your entire life. I am thankful that I did not start using technology till later in my teenhood because it is scary seeing all of the children now a day's who are attached to their IPad's at a restaurant, or glued to the TV after school, when I used to go out and play outside, hang out with friends with toys, and not look at a screen in my free childhood time.
There are many aspects of technology that have advanced our society as a whole, but that also comes with the negative downsides. Technology has increased our ability to communicate with our friends and family efficiently and conveniently. We are able to text, call, look up any and all information we want, and have tasks done for us all with the use of technology. There have been advancements in all fields and jobs because of the convenience. However, this has brought downsides as well. Technology is a source of distraction, stress, comparison, and disconnect for a lot of people, including myself. There is a sense of overwhelming communication and information which causes loneliness and stress. Technology can also feel very isolating at times due to comparison of other's lives on social media and not living in the moment in your own life. Along with security and privacy issues. Ultimately, there are positives and negatives but it depends on the affect and influence that you let it take over your life and the intentions you have.
