I remember not knowing what the internet was as a kid. In school when a teacher would pull up a web page or talk about emails I simply did not have a clue what it was. It was an unknown in my life and I never really put any thought into it. Of course now I am informed but even when I first figured it all out I still never wondered how exactly the internet functioned. Now I mostly focus on just how much I actually spend my time on the interwebs.
WiFi and cellphone data are what sustain my connection to the web world but recently I have been cut off from most of it. My family's WiFi has been shut off so I have been doing my best to survive. For a full week now there has been no online video game interaction between me and my friends, no Netflix, no nothing. I will admit that it isn't the most awful thing because I still have social media; but, my extra down time has forced me to do some thinking.
After some deep thought, I have come to the conclusion that I rely TOO much on the internet for my means of entertainment. Although, well, I actually already knew that. The point being is that without some of link to the internet in my daily life, I find that I almost have no interest in anything else.
Now I am not saying that I don't enjoy time outside with friends or family; but even when I am with these people I still check my phone regularly to view posts on Facebook and such. I can't even remember the last time I went a full day without it being associated in some small way with the internet. Just about every single morning I wake up and do a quick check on social media before getting up. Often times I will lay down even longer to stay on my phone. This isn't the biggest anomaly either because I know most of my friends or people around my age group are the exact same way. It is honestly normal for me to do that and for many other people.
You know actually most anybody in our day and age who owns a smartphone has behavior just like teenagers. Adults are hooked onto social media too. Is it a problem? Perhaps we are losing value in personal face-to-face action. Maybe it is the fact that the technology we have in modern society is taking such precedence that you can't ignore it. I guess you can't blame people for using the tools that are available for them.
Personally, I believe an appliance like WiFi will never be gone out of my life. For the plain fact that I love using it, and so do other people. It bums me out that I don't have a connection to any at the moment, but maybe it was right for me to really wonder why I felt so withdrawn and “disconnected” without it.
Sunday, March 27, 2016
Disconnection
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Oh my gosh...I am with you. I tried one time to not to use any electronics or wifi, to see how long I can last. I lasted for three days. I couldn't stay off my phone. It was like a weird itch was bothering me the whole time. This is really scary thinking about it because the way I see it is being addicted to cigarettes. Every time I saw other people on their phones I felt like I was left out or whatever. The reason why is because we practically grew up using technology. It pretty crazy too because I barely got a phone in eighth grade and I see third graders with phones now. This is a good blog. Technology rules the world!
ReplyDeleteAlbert Einstein once said, “I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots.” Though I am sure he meant humanity would decline in its logical capabilities, I fear that the idiocy he mentions has developed, instead, into physical communication and personal connection issues.
ReplyDeleteI went out with my family for supper recently; my mother, father, sister and I sat in a restaurant booth, our shoulders rubbing against one another. We talked briefly; ordered what we wanted; and in the next second each of us were occupied by our phones, by the internet, by games.
Needless to say, dinner was a silent affair.
This dependence on electronics is dangerous. We’ve become so used to, so reliant on them as a society that I fear imagining what would happen if it suddenly - if temporarily - disappeared (as solar flares have threatened to do).
The only thing we can really do is observe the current problems and act in ways that could spare us in a fallout. So let’s socialize more in person. Let’s find other ways to entertain ourselves away from pixels and data. These things may even serve to make us better siblings, better friends, better coworkers, and better people.
Reading that you realized you are being dependent on technology is a good thing. I see that you are waking up by seeing that every body including the grown-ups are on the trend by being on their cellphones through out the day. Looking around of where you are, you are most likely to see someone on their phone. So I can agree with you that we are being manipulated into technology and taking less time to think of what's really going on around us. I really enjoyed reading your blog and also enjoyed that you ate realizing the fact that we are like zombies always on our cellular device.
ReplyDelete