As technological advances continue to infiltrate society, it is important to effectively navigate while utilizing technology. It is hard to define if one has a healthy relationship with technology because we are surrounded by it. While looking at the example of the Mad World video, this is an overly exaggerated view of people relying on and becoming addicted to their phones. The phone is only one piece of technology. There is concern that the way humans interact will change or be altered (Ashworth, 2019). For me, it is not an issue as I like to actually have conversations with people and talk to them. Being able to do this is an important skill in life. For some, like me, this comes extremely easy to me, but for others, it is difficult. The only way to get better is to do it; unfortunately, many prefer to use their phones to send a text or an email. Human beings are social beings, I find that when trying to get something done at work or in school, an email is not as effective as a one-on-one conversation. (The Importance of Human Interaction in the Technology Age)Furthermore, emails can be very time-consuming. For example, they were designed to save time, but the amount people can receive is astronomical. There is no way to avoid technology, even in our own homes. If we do not give technology the appropriate amount of time, there will be no way one can function in life. For example, when simply going to the store, one needs to engage with technology. Many stores have doors connected to sensors that automatically open when a person goes near the door. To purchase something, a cashier swipes or scans the items, and the price gets calculated. The way to keep a healthy balance is to utilize technology but prioritize human interactions. For example, when ordering food, I utilize the technology available on my phone, but when having the meal, I try to put the phone away and have conversations.
Being dyslexic, I rely on technology to assist me. (What is Dyslexia?) For example, I utilize speech-to-text software as well as text-to-speech software. Even when responding to a friend’s text, I will speak my reply and have it turned into text. For assignments and tests in school, I rely on text-to-speech technology. Another type of technology that I rely on is predictive text applications. I am well aware that dyslexics who were born 20 years before me did not have the luxury of these technologies (Lynch, 2017).
As for accessing information, society has changed. At one point, one would need to read the morning newspaper, watch the evening news, read a weekly or monthly magazine, or wait for a book to be published. Now, information is at our fingertips, immediate and up-to-the-minute. What has not changed is the fact that some sources are reliable, whereas others are not. This has not changed over time. One has always needed to gather information from numerous sources to ensure reliability. With or without technology, in my opinion, this will never change; it is just a reality.
For family and friends, technology has positively assisted them. Technology has been utilized in many areas, especially to assist in communication and connections. Being from New York and having family and friends living throughout the country, facetime is utilized by many to stay connected. Facetime has replaced the traditional phone call and seems to increase engagement. It is the closest thing to having a real conversation without actually being in the same room. Other technologies that are utilized are social media platforms. It would be wonderful to have family and friends present all the time, but that is not realistic. Pictures and videos can be taken and shared in an effort to memorialize the effect. The negative side of technology occurs with work-life balance (Wedgewood, 2022). Technology allows people to work from home or other remote locations. Since the pandemic, many companies have learned that people do not need to sit in the office. In the past, when someone left the office to go home, they were able to shut down and focus on non-work-related issues. Now, at various gatherings, I can find family members checking and responding to work emails when in the past, they would not. There is a need to intentionally shut off work to maintain a healthy work-life balance.
As for my online footprint, I have been very careful about what I put out there for the world to see. When one googles my name, I do not pop up. There are other people who share my name that come up, but nothing that is actually connected to me. When going on Instagram, there are images of me but nothing that would raise a red flag. The image that is painted of me is that of a typical college student enjoying life but not enjoying it too much. Currently, there is nothing that needs to be edited, but since I am going into my third year of college, I am extremely aware of the need to make sure there are only positive images of me online.
References
Ashworth, C. (2019). Are We Losing The Human Connection. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbeshumanresourcescouncil/2019/08/01/are-we-losing-the-human-connection/?sh=3faf306e5baa
Lynch, M. (2017). 11 Must-Have Apps and Tools For Dyslexic Students. The Tech Edvocate.https://www.thetechedvocate.org/11-must-apps-tools-dyslexic-students/
Wedgwood, J. (2022). The Importance of Work-Life Balance. https://thehappinessindex.com/blog/importance-work-life-balance/
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