Good Evening! It's been awhile since I've written—not on purpose, it's just been very busy lately. As many of you know, we're preparing for Kieu Pham Gray to come into town to teach a weekend extravaganza of awesome jewelry-making techniques. She's responsible for all the rings we make at AG now, so we're super excited to see what we'll learn this coming weekend! If you haven't seen, check out our website for more information!
But that aside, the subject of this post…technology. You see, I love it. Not like kind of love it, or "I have it, but don't really need it"…no, I need it. I breathe it. It's a huge part of my identity—and has been for a very long time. I think it's magical what it allows people to do. I'm no artist, but I can layout a beautiful page with fancy fonts and graphics. I could never do that free-hand, like they had to do "back in the day". It can connect with nearly anyone instantly. I can pay people with a text message. It unites us in ways we never believed were possible. It's pretty amazing.
Yet, for all these good things, as much as it pains me to say, there can be too much of a good thing. I often find myself picking up my phone to do something important, like check my bank account or post about a class we're going to have at AG, only to be stopped dead in my tracks by a notification. OH! Someone posted a new pic on Instagram! Better check that out! Six hours later, I (hopefully) remember I needed to check my bank account balance. Somehow there's this rabbit hole that I have a very hard time avoiding lately. Actually, the rabbits seem to have taken over my yard because I can't miss the holes. And, what I've realized is, I'm addicted. Not in a funny, "oh yeah, I'm soooooo addicted /s" way…no, like seriously addicted. I check one social network for updates, and when I'm out of those, I move on to the next. Pulling down to refresh hoping for the next pic or status update. It's mindless; I'm not even really looking at some points, I'm only seeing "NEW!!!" and moving on to the next new.
And that's my problem lately. But I'm going to work on it. I need to break the cycle. I need to stop being as mindless about it. I started working on this a bit when I promised only to post things that I had something to really say about. I said I'd do that for a week, and I did. Then I fell back into the easy, mindless liking and sharing without my personal context. You see, the experiment wasn't so much for others, it was for me to be more in the moment when I was actually doing it. It was harder to do. It was hard to be self-policing. And, it shouldn't be. It should be the norm, not the extreme.
So, over the next few weeks, I'm going to work on that. I'm going to try to focus on things that can take me away from my devices. My books. My journals. My pens and pencils and paper. My music. There is freedom in these things, and I'm starting on a journey to rediscover it.
How has technology treated you? How do you treat technology? I'd love to hear about your experiences!
But that aside, the subject of this post…technology. You see, I love it. Not like kind of love it, or "I have it, but don't really need it"…no, I need it. I breathe it. It's a huge part of my identity—and has been for a very long time. I think it's magical what it allows people to do. I'm no artist, but I can layout a beautiful page with fancy fonts and graphics. I could never do that free-hand, like they had to do "back in the day". It can connect with nearly anyone instantly. I can pay people with a text message. It unites us in ways we never believed were possible. It's pretty amazing.
Yet, for all these good things, as much as it pains me to say, there can be too much of a good thing. I often find myself picking up my phone to do something important, like check my bank account or post about a class we're going to have at AG, only to be stopped dead in my tracks by a notification. OH! Someone posted a new pic on Instagram! Better check that out! Six hours later, I (hopefully) remember I needed to check my bank account balance. Somehow there's this rabbit hole that I have a very hard time avoiding lately. Actually, the rabbits seem to have taken over my yard because I can't miss the holes. And, what I've realized is, I'm addicted. Not in a funny, "oh yeah, I'm soooooo addicted /s" way…no, like seriously addicted. I check one social network for updates, and when I'm out of those, I move on to the next. Pulling down to refresh hoping for the next pic or status update. It's mindless; I'm not even really looking at some points, I'm only seeing "NEW!!!" and moving on to the next new.
And that's my problem lately. But I'm going to work on it. I need to break the cycle. I need to stop being as mindless about it. I started working on this a bit when I promised only to post things that I had something to really say about. I said I'd do that for a week, and I did. Then I fell back into the easy, mindless liking and sharing without my personal context. You see, the experiment wasn't so much for others, it was for me to be more in the moment when I was actually doing it. It was harder to do. It was hard to be self-policing. And, it shouldn't be. It should be the norm, not the extreme.
So, over the next few weeks, I'm going to work on that. I'm going to try to focus on things that can take me away from my devices. My books. My journals. My pens and pencils and paper. My music. There is freedom in these things, and I'm starting on a journey to rediscover it.
How has technology treated you? How do you treat technology? I'd love to hear about your experiences!
I really found connection with this post. I love technology. It also is an impairment on my life. I enjoy discovering new things and experiencing the ease and wonder technology can bring to our lives. I have always described myself as a techie or a gadget person. However, like you wrote, we can allow it to take over our lives and take us down meaningless paths at times. I have fallen into the rabbit hole(s) many times. It is sometimes fun to get lost with technology, but it can also be a time waster instead of a time saver. It is a good idea to step back and try to get away from it and get a “real life recharge” sometimes. Enjoyed your post! ~Linda
ReplyDeleteI'm behind in seeing this post, which is amazing with how much time I spend on the Internet! I feel like I am addicted too. I didn't even start using social media much until a few years ago and was happy I wasn't spending so much time on it like people around me, but now I've gotten sucked in. There is plenty of good, but the mindless time suck is something I want to get away from. I think I'll follow your idea of focusing on things that take me away from the devices. It's like doing something proactive and positive rather than feeling like I'm depriving myself. Great post!
ReplyDelete