#technology obsession

I’m not personally offended by the depiction that children are obsessed with technology. I think the depiction is both wrong and right- there is something wrong to me personally (although it is an opinion) about a four-year-old or seven-year-old owning an iPhone, which is not as uncommon as one might think. I do think it will change how this generation will learn. I do think that there might be ill health benefits we have not thought about, that there could be some negative effects of “technology obsession” on our brains, that our bodies may even grow to need the chemicals radiating through these glass screens. 

I also very much think that we are not lazy as a society. I do not believe that technology and dependence on technology equals laziness. And I do believe that this same problem may have come up upon the invention of videos, movies, television, radios, record players- that the “older generation” complained about changing times and that the younger generation may have felt unjustly guilty for being so indulged in new inventions. I think this cycle will happen and continue to happen for a long time. I think that we may even say the same things as we participate as the older generation of this cycle. And I think that at some point, there will be a crossing of boundaries when technology is just too much and too harmful, and the younger generation will have to slow down progress or suffer. 

I’m at- and I believe we’re all at- a remarkable transition. We grew up as children when the iPhone craze began. We grew up just as the technology boom took off at full speed. I remember the times before my computer and phone. I remember what it was like. Some kids only five years younger than me do not. 

I know that there are things to miss from embracing technology. I miss being bored. I miss relaxing enough to come up with ideas on my own. I miss not having the impulsive, panicking urge to check my phone every thirty minutes. I miss not feeling like I was missing the world and all of its news every time I forgot to bring some technological device to school. I look at my device, look up again, and three hours have gone by. I’m always thinking about updates, constant updates. I have this almost overwhelming infinite of data at my fingertips, and nowadays I’ve realized that I have to keep myself from drowning in it.

But with every miss comes a gain. Saving lives is faster. Efficiency, constant efficiency. We are propelling to new heights, we have new fascinations, new types of art, new ways to connect, new ways to communicate and love another, new ways to stay safe. The internet is a different culture within itself- it should not be excluded from historical or artistic appreciation. It’s easier to solve problems. It might even be easier to be happy. Possibly.