This media class is great. And sometimes I also hate it.
I love that it makes me more aware of the media around me.
I hate that it makes me more aware of the media around me.
Because of this new found awareness, I recently came to a nasty realization. I think I have a very real addiction to my phone. I'm one of those people.
This past weekend, I dropped my phone in the toilet. *facepalm*
I am proud to say that it was the first (and hopefully only) time that it has ever happened to me. And spoiler alert: my phone is fine. Thanks to the glorious people of the internets, I found a pretty great tutorial on what to do when your phone gets dunked in water. Who knew rice was both delicious and a phone life-saver?! But I digress.
Bottom line, my phone was stuck in a bag of rice for about 36ish hours. That is literally a day and a half. Part of which is spent sleeping, so it really was not a big deal and just an inconvenience, at best. But I was amazed/ashamed at how difficult it was! I had no idea how attached I had become to that stupid phone! Every time I had a spare minute, wanted to look something up, needed directions, etc. my hand/arm would get this really strange feeling and I would instinctively pat my pockets or purse looking for my phone. It really got to the point where it was embarrassing and just sad.
As miserable as it was, it really gave me perspective. Technology is so amazing in that it allows us to do so many things. We have reached the point where we are actually carrying a mini-computer right in our pocket! How cool is that?! What isn't cool is abusing that technology and allowing it to become an extension of your body. I really hate that. And I don't want to be a part of it anymore. I struggle with the desire to toss it all out the window and revert to a flip phone, but also recognizing the convenience of being able to receive emails and get directions and know all the secrets of the universe WHENEVER I FEEL LIKE IT.
What do you think? Is smart phone/technology addiction avoidable or is it just a necessary evil?
Any ideas how to get your spouse to realize this? haha
ReplyDeleteI'm sure i bother my wife sometimes when she comes home from work and I am on my computer and all she wants is to spend time with me. I feel the same way when the day is winding down and we finally have some time to spend together but one or both of us is/are on the phone, usually with no legitimate purpose at all. I imagine this is an issue in many households and many couples just because it is the world in which we live today.
I think this is a pretty big problem in our society today! Its so lame to see and entire group of people all texting on their phones! Sometimes I just want to be like... "Hello!!! Talk!" haha! Maybe I'm just bitter because I don't have a smart phone and still have a slider phone! But I am on my laptop a lot! I think its important that young kids don't have smart phones. At some point in their lives they need to learn to communicate with real life people. However, I agree that the society we live in almost demands this kind of technology from us! I'm kind of half and half!
ReplyDeleteIf I broaden that question to communicative technology, I'd say neither. Smart phones in particular, possibly, but not realistically, so basically still neither. Why do I say not a necessary evil? Because it depends on how you use them. They are great when used in great ways. They are only evil when used in evil ways.
ReplyDeleteI don't have a smart phone, but I use my computer in a similar manner. Question? Google it. Other questions? Google it. Need directions? Google it. Emails; Facebook; games; now blogging; ect. Many things online to cause us to get back online a lot. Also, I write my to-do lists, my journal, and many other notes on my computer. You're not alone, but it is possible to use computers and smart phones somewhat sparingly, and it certainly is possible to use them in good ways.