Like most people in this day and age, I use technology during practically all of my waking hours. I use it to listen to music, virtually attend lectures, study/write assignments, and of course to keep in touch with friends and family. I'm aware that I've become increasingly dependent on tech, and I'm sure I'm not alone in feeling slightly uncomfortable at that thought.
That's why I decided to try spending an entire day tech-free. 'Why would you want to do that?', I hear you ask. I think I mainly just wanted to challenge myself. Of course, I chose to do it now, 2 weeks before my final exams, during a worldwide pandemic which has resulted in a greater reliance on technology than possibly ever before. I made sure to leave a few tech-free to-dos for that specific day, which turned out to be harder than I thought seeing as even my reading has been transported onto my phone recently (I don't particularly like this fact, but what can a girl do?).
The day started off on a good note. It was Sunday, and I conveniently got out of bed at 10:30am, giving me arguably less time out of the day to miss my beloved phone. I started reading some conveniently printed-out uni notes, and felt pretty good about the fact that I hadn't turned my phone on yet. A few minutes in, however, I came across something in my notes which I felt like I just had to tell Elisa about... So I convinced my boyfriend to start texting her on my behalf, so that I could communicate with her without physically using any technology myself.
Long story short, I persisted with that mode of communication, until I naturally gave up and turned my own phone on due to a growing realisation that it was still not - albeit in a roundabout way - a tech-free day.
This article was supposed to be all about the withdrawal symptoms I felt during an entire day of not succumbing to the technological pressures put on us by today's society. When I failed, I decided I would write about it anyway, instead reflecting on how we have all been reduced to slaves of our phones/laptops/the Internet. But now, I'm thinking maybe I need a shift in perspective.
Technology is always painted as the 'bad guy', as the propagator of mindless zombies whose hands and eyes are glued to tiny (or not so tiny) buttons and screens. But maybe technology isn't all that bad. Maybe there's just an instinctive fear of the growing possibilities of technology because we don't yet know where it will end. I'm sure people were sceptical about cars when they first arrived on the scene, but look at us now; I don't think there are very many people these days who think we should do away with cars entirely (even climate change activists don't suggest their complete eradication). So, maybe, the answer isn't to be scared of technology, but to learn how to control it and integrate it into our lives in a healthier, more balanced, way. In reality, it's been a lifesaver during these unprecedented times, what with distant learning and teleworking.
But, yeah, I still haven't given up that one day I might manage to stay away from my phone for at least 24 hours.
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