Back in 1964, American society was so hopeful for the future of technology. Their excitement was proven through the Futurama ride that launched at the New York World’s Fair, where the attractions displayed throughout the ride showed the possibility of the future of our world with advancing technology. Their predictions of landing on the moon and innovative technology in the workplace have come true, but how the world has changed through social media is something nobody could have predicted. Futurama thought technology would be our savior, and although that could be true in some circumstances- like for national security, NASA discoveries, and manufacturing companies, the universe of portable digital worlds has completely thrown our world into an abyss.
Yes, technology is a problem solver but it is also a problem creator. In the animated video “Man” by Steve Cutts, we are taken on this journey through time where we can see how humans have used their resources to advance into the future. It started out as innocent as discovering we can use animals for food and clothes, but quickly turned showed a turn around where the earth was a dumpter with all nature dead and the color drained from the world. This applies to us in 2022 because just as the man in the animation was, we go too far, and sometimes we do not realize how deep into destruction we are until it is too late. From the inside, it may seem like the norm or not so bad because it is what we are used to, but when the aliens came down to earth to discover the planet and realized how disgusting it had become, it was an eye-opener for viewers to see that what is normal to us may be terrible in reality and visa versa. Things may not be as bad as they seem until we take a step backwards.
The “Tears For Fears” music video let the images and music speak for themselves. It nearly made me cry because of how accurate it is. We have become prisoners to our cell phones and slaves to the internet. We have lost social skills, care for real-world problems, the ability to be authentic, and the joys that the natural world is supposed to bring us. The sad part is that as a student myself who is aware of these problems, I still act as a character in the film. I use technology for school work, social media for entertainment and news, apps for food and drinks, email and text for communication, and more. These habits have trained me to think I am being helped by technology but this is only short term. It is not enough to say we are going to change, but continue to participate in the destructive activities.
Although I have adopted these addictive and unhelpful habits, I am self-aware and choose my battles accordingly. I use technology for its positives (to contact employers, professors, and family, to research, and more.) It has the ability to expand my knowledge on anything in the world! I try to ween from falling too deeply into the dark side of technology in multiple ways. I start by limiting my exposure to social media throughout my day- especially at night before bed when my thoughts are the most vulnerable and in the morning before I start my day. Another way I attempt to ween off of technology is the voice of my father in my head and how he always taught me never to rely on the GPS for directions, and so each time I am in the car, I challenge myself to avoid using the map so my body can lead me the right way. It is through these minute practices that we will become less reliant on our tech and more reliant on our natural instincts. My relationship with technology has become intertwined with my relationship with my instincts- sometimes I know when someone will text me moments before they do, or I am able to mentally clock the exact amount of time it will take for my mobile order to be completed for my meal- then I get the notification. Sometimes I am able to predict exactly what time it is before checking my phone, and I complete tasks in the same amount of time it takes me to finish an episode of Gilmore Girls. Yet, I have been trying to separate these parts of my life through self discipline and segregation of what is convenient and what I am able to rely on myself for.
When you take your cell phone away and are asked to walk home from class alone, how naked do you feel? I never want to feel that way again. So, my plan is to eliminate the unintended consequences the power of technology has had on my life. For example, instead of Googling recipes I can find an actual cookbook, I can use a paper map in my car instead of the internet, I can treat social media as a priveledge and not as a “given”, I can order my food in person instead of online, I can go outside and hike instead of watch movies, I can complete a craft or read a book in the time it would take me to scroll through TikTok, and the rewards would be greater. I can positively use technology to research different parts of the world, to plan trips, to calculate expenses, and to learn about all things historical!
I believe I was exposed to technology at the perfect time in my life. I got my first cell phone when I was 14 years old. I had to travel home alone on the bus and stay home alone for most hours of the day after school in my not-so- safe neighborhood. I had just started finding music artists that I was a true fan of, and social media wasn’t even a possibility in my mind. When I eventually did get social media, however, my older sister warned me of the dangers. It was the first time I had ever read or heard jokes about sex, sexuality, race, and gender roles. I wasn’t taken by complete surprise, but it wasn’t something I enjoyed seeing. I luckily had an innocent media feed of Ariana Grande concert posts and Webkinz toys galore.
Technology is both making me smarter and informing me as well as misleading me. Half of what I thought was true is a myth, and people will state outright lies and demand they are true until you are nearly forced to believe it. I often worry about these things and especially the next generation. I was fortunate enough to go to a middle and high school where technology was not really used in the learning environment. The gift that those experiences have given me are irreplaceable. My writing improved, my competitive nature increased, my physical abilities (gym class) built confidence, my social skills were top tier, and through all this I faced it head on with real life set backs and was unable to hide behind a screen. Technology for the next generation worries me that they will not be able to handle reality. My family is full of young children, and so when I am with them I always make sure we are doing a non-technological activity.
Especially during COVID-19, technology massively evolved. We became 100% reliant on it for work and communication. My relationships have both thrived and failed with technology. Cell phones always keep your partner within reach, but also have the ability to fool you about their whereabouts. Things can get misconstrued without face to face communication, and this often leads to more arguments. I agree with the statement that any technology is good within moderation and without the loss of self sufficiency. More than 50% of the time if you can do it with a phone, you should be able to also do it without it as well.
So besides the trail that the internet leaves on me, what do I leave on the internet? If you were to search me on the web, the first thing that would appear would be my Linkeldn profile and my academic achievements from high school- with my cringy graduation photo, of course. My track and field record would be next and perhaps a poetry writing contest I was entered in in the seventh grade and never won. I do have two social media accounts, however they are private and my posts are all clean. I ask my family not to post me on Facebook at all or on Instagram accounts without my approval and I do not have any saved or liked content that is controversial. I would say my digital footprint isn’t very deep and I like it this way. I clear out my search history daily and log out of my important accounts and do not link my credit card information to anything, typically.
I have found that society’s relationship with technology is becoming increasingly more direct, and if we are not careful, we will doom ourselves. I think it is important to note that we take the bitter with the sweet and at least we are aware of technology’s dangers. It is up to us to make the decision of how we want to handle these changes.
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