Modern technology has wowed us in so many ways. It allowed us to have access to limitless information via the internet. It gave us the ability to communicate with people from an entirely different time zone in real-time. We’ve witnessed how technology made our jobs easier, speedier, and more time-efficient.
Technology has been helpful in the healthcare industry as it dramatically improved consultations and treatments in a pediatric, orthopedic, or even a trusted PTSD clinic. Without technology, we would have had a hard time navigating COVID-19 since the disease has forced us all to be dependent on our computers and handheld devices for work, school, and play.
Imagine what your life would be like without the tech to connect you to friends past, present, and future. But while technology has proven to be such a boon in our generation, it also brings with it some serious banes.
Disconnection in Our Connections
It’s funny how a lot of us think that the world is now more connected than ever when the opposite is quite evident.
Take a look around you. Notice how people have become glued to their smartphones and tablets. Peek into the lives of people at home who spend most of their time in front of a TV or computer monitor, either watching Netflix or getting some work done.
We live in a time when multitasking is easily justified by the efficiency of our connectivity but in the process, we’re compromising our connectedness with one another. We can’t get through a decent conversation or meal without checking our phones. A lot of us thrive on getting likes, reacts, comments, and retweets. If our phone doesn’t get any notifications, we start to get worried and anxious.
It’s ironic how we’re proud of the digital devices that we own but fail to realize that our digital devices own us. It’s puzzling how we can feel ecstatic about getting the latest iPhone but not look forward to the weekend visit to grandma. It’s dumbfounding how instead of witnessing your closest friend’s marriage proposal live and be in the moment, you whip out your phone to record the event so that you can relive it on the screen.
The truth is, our access to greater connectivity has hindered us from truly connecting with one another. We claim to know people a lot better by seeing their Facebook or Instagram posts and photos about their activities and interests instead of spending time with them and talking to them.
We have been seduced by our mechanical devices into a life of make-believe, pulling us further and further away from those that truly matter.
In the late 1960s, German-American psychiatrist Fredric Wertham went against the entire comic book industry because he claims that the materials produced by publishers are influencing young kids into a life of juvenile delinquency. He wrote a book about it called Seduction of the Innocent.
If you think about it, technology somewhat has influenced our behavior today. A digital seduction of a generation is taking place now. If we fail to rectify the situation and allow technology and connectivity to consume us, then it will only prove that the pandemic was not the one responsible for our distancing. We have long been distant from each other even before COVID hit us.
It’s not too late to turn things around for us. We just need to relearn how to use technology to our advantage and master it instead of it becoming our masters. With everything we have at our disposal to make meaningful relationships, let’s not forget that the most important tool we can use is our undivided attention and time.
