Life Without Technology- Desi Tsamadias

-
Before the break, we all read a couple of articles about a day without technology: "24 Hours Without my Phone" and "Here's what happens when you give up your phone for 24 hours". Reading these articles and hearing from the class comments about them really got me thinking...

First of all, there are many great things about technology and phones that are helpful and pretty cool. A few being: Texting, calling, being able to connect on Social Media, taking photos and playing games. We have any information we want at our fingertips and we can talk to someone halfway around the globe in a matter of seconds. Although, with all of the amazing things that come with phones and technology, parts of life just aren't the same as they would be without technology.

In my opinion, it is much harder for people to live in the moment they are in when they feel the need to take "perfect pictures" and show off how amazing their life is. If we didn't have phones, I feel that people (myself included) would be happier and more productive. Think about the countless hours you could spend scrolling through Tiktok or your Instagram feed- yet it feels like you've only been on for a few minutes. Apps on your phone are designed to be addictive: the way it is so easy to scroll down looking at an endless feed of photos or videos. Social media also tends to have a depressing effect on most people who see others doing something and feel left out or wish they could be something they are not. Even seemingly perfect Influencers now are coming to forward to confess they are struggling with depression or eating disorders, which is what you can't see in their perfectly edited photos. 

But it's not just social media that harms people. There are also physical side effects that we already know about, but also down the road there may be even more that we discover. Blue light from screens causes strain to the eyes and looking down at your phone can cause bad posture and neck problems. 

Even if you set aside the mental and physical cons to the use of phones, there is also just the fact that it takes away from the real-life world that is in front of all of us. There is so much more to life than social media and using our phones- there are places to be traveled, things to be done and a world to see. I have met many people who live in places where there are no phones. To be honest, I think life is better without them. There are fewer distractions, more things getting done and more time to do the things that we love to do. Having spent 2 1/2 months without my phone before (the longest I have ever gone without it) definitely made me feel better in so many ways, so I definitely think everyone should try a social media or phone detox!

Comments

  1. DanielleJanuary 2, 2020 at 8:54 AM

    The physical and mental side effects are the ones that are going to surprise everyone. People have neck and thumb issues, mental health issues, etc. It's like when cigarettes first came out everyone thought they were fine until they weren't. I wonder if the same thing will happen here.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ancient Greek Heroes VS. Modern Day Heroes

-
Image
Heroes in Greek/Anglo-Saxon (I am grouping the types of historical literature we have read) writing are very obvious and much of ancient Greek literature involves a central hero or a supernatural story. In modern day English, however, the plots are less often mythical and more realistic. Since each person has a different definition for heroism, modern day heroism literature can be more varied. Ancient Greek writing is very often far-fetched, however. There are many similarities and differences between the two types of writing, but first I will run through the most significant differences. In Greek mythology, heroes were often religious figures, like demigods, while modern day writing focuses more on ordinary people. This could be because authors nowadays want the readers to be able to relate with the heroes in their stories. Greek writing had heroes that had the power to protect or destroy the people depending on prevailing circumstances. In contrast, modern day heroes are acknowledg...
Read more

My Brother by Elizabeth Hailey DeGasperis

-
Image
          When I contemplate what is most important in my life, my mind is drawn to my 21-year-old brother, Tom. There are not enough words in the English language I could use to describe what he means to me. I cannot imagine the past fifteen years of my life without him. Allow me to start from the beginning.           Even when I was an infant, he never failed to take me out of my crib, strap me in my high chair, and cook scrambled eggs for us (at the tender age of six). He did this so my mother could catch up on sleep in the mornings and take care of me however he could. I only wish I could return the favour in some way. Though we have always been tight, we used to fight frequently as all siblings do. As immature children, we viewed every ordeal as monumental. The apocalypse would occur if either of us decided to give the other access to the TV remote or the pogo sticks for five minutes. However, we would always make-up in the end and...
Read more

Not Fate, Just a Coincidence - Sila Paniker

-
Image
The idea of fate confuses me. I don't really understand how something will happen no matter what you do. It just seems very unlikely. I think we're constantly making choices that lead to occurrences. We make so many decisions a day that it seems impossible that fate can find a way around it all.  Awhile ago, I saw something called the Butterfly Effect, which doesn't exactly relate to fate but it makes sense to me. The idea is that a butterfly flapping its wings can cause a tornado on the other side of the world. Essentially, small changes can have large impacts. In my head, this connects with the thousands of tiny decisions we subconsciously make each day. There are people I've met or things that have happened and it feels like it was meant to be but they're just a bunch of coincidences that had the ability to change everything. Thinking about it, there are reasons that can explain everything. For example, I met one of my closest friends a few years ago a...
Read more