đź“… 22 Dec 2022
I have wrestled with technology most of my life. From not getting a cell phone until I was nearly 18 (and in my generation that was a big deal) to never owning a TV, I just frankly have a weird relationship with technology. I hate Facebook (and yes, Instagram, although I use both Twitter and Instagram sparingly for my business) and refuse to acknowledge the newest video platform. I generally view technology in a negative light, in so far as it doesn’t actually improve our lives.
Don’t get me wrong - certain technologies have drastically improved our state of life and have in many cases, literally saved lives.
However, I feel that many technologies are not what they are sold as. I have previously written about what I coined (which may not be original to me) “The Illusion of Convenience”.
This is quite serious for me. I’m not always perfect but I try to think critically about the things I’m using. I think most of us would be better off this way.
In the past few years, I have thought about how I could have more fun with regards to tinkering with tech while keeping my “footprint” small. Also, I don’t have unlimited time.
This has meant things have been a little bit of a mess. I bought a phone and de-googled it, only to find out my carrier wouldn’t let just any old phone on their network. Then, I received several old laptops as gifts from others. This has been a blessing - they were free and they didn’t go in the landfill - but this has also meant I probably spend more time than I would like on them.
It’s probably important to say two things. First, I mostly hate social media, at least the way most of our population defines it. But technology in general can also make us feel isolated, lost, and confused. It’s especially important for me to recognize this and engage in such a way that genuinely brings me joy and stepping back when I’m not experiencing this. Second and probably most importantly, for any number of reasons, some people can only connect with others over this new form of communication. I have no problem with this and it’s one of the reasons I do have a little social engagement online - to encourage this and to meet people I wouldn’t otherwise.
That’s probably enough of a rant for today. I’ll probably revisit this at some point and I’m sure my perspective will change over time. But this is where I’m at right now.
Cheers.
đź’¬ Looking for comments?
I don't have comments on this site because I don't feel like managing them.
Instead of leaving a comment, feel free to ✉️ contact me instead.