Image credit Antoine Barrès
Every time my 9 year old daughter asks for a phone or an Ipad (which is usually on a weekly basis) I cringe. We have the same discussion every time, and I let her know (every time) that when she’s at high school (age 12 or 13) we will get her a phone. Privy to regular pocket money now, her latest cunning plan is to save up enough to buy one with her own money. Then, she says, being her phone she can have it when she wants.
The debates around technology are almost constant in our home. After some fairly loose rules over the holidays the new plan is for weekend use of our family Ipad (or my phone) only. She gets to use my laptop for ‘research’ (note – research doesn’t mean addictive you-tube searching) and to do math homework during the week.
And whatever your stand is on kids use around technology, this is only one small example of the boundaries we are having to put in place in this increasingly digital world.
While the digital world has been around for decades, we are truly enveloped on every side now by the ‘online’. We can do almost anything online. Book appointments, find recipes, pay bills, take courses, build friendships and communities. There are countless benefits to our new world.
But the truth is, I’m scared.
We are only just beginning to get glimpses of some of the negative effects that this constant connection has on human beings.
E-waste and our environment
Did you know that electronic waste is the FASTEST growing type of waste in the world? I’m delving deeper into this topic next week. But in the meantime, have a think – what do you currently do with any electronic goods (cellphones, TV’s, laptops) that no longer work?
Our connections with others
The way we connect with people is evolving. We no longer need to leave our homes to make connections. We can make friends in our PJ’s and engage in text conversations on the loo. I can’t imagine what our ancestors would think of that!
But an online connection with someone is a poor substitute for connection with someone face to face. We are alone together. Research on loneliness consistently shows that levels have increased exponentially and alongside the increase of social media.
It’s an addiction
I recently heard tech guru, Kevin Kelly (founder of WIRED magazine) liken giving our children smart phones to giving them a life time supply of cigarettes. Before you laugh it off as hype, consider this, the average global use of social media sites is 135 minutes per day (up from 90 minutes in 2012). This is not even measuring interaction with technology in general. There are hundreds of academic studies measuring our addiction to devices and social media. It’s a thing.
(And if you do want a laugh I highly recommend reading this article which gives some handy signs so you know when to call your rehab center).
It changes our brains
My memory hasn’t always been great but it certainly hasn’t improved with the advent of google as my go-to for facts and figures. We simply don’t need our memories like we used to if we are always a swipe away from google or Suri.
Our brains are literally using the internet for long term memory storage. Which may be ok for things like phone numbers. But does it work for retrieving the memory of your babies first smile? Probably not.
Unfortunately, the infancy of our ‘online’ culture means that there are no long term studies that show the effects of this over the lifespan. We have no idea what the long term effects of this constant connection (or addiction) may mean.
Acceptance
Part of me wishes that we could turn back the clock. I feel like my childhood, without cellphones and internet was so much easier. It was simpler. But there’s no going back. Those that don’t have cellphones, internet access and social media are few and far in between.
And rather than try and fight this new age we are in, a certain amount of acceptance is needed. We need to accept what we can’t control or change and make the best of the situation.
We need to figure out a way to work with technology and social media that not only enhances our lives but enables humanity to move to our next frontier.
Here are 10 simple ideas to bring hope to our digital dystopia!
- You’ve heard it before but i’m gonna say it again. Take a digital detox. Delete your social media apps from your phone for 24 hours once per week.
- Find out where you can safely take unwanted electronic items to.
- Curate your social media feeds to include things that are important to you. Unfriend and unfollow and don’t think twice. (I’ve recently curated my social media channels and disengaged from Twitter completely).
- Actively participate online instead of mindlessly consuming.
- Re-engage your memory by noticing something new everyday and handwriting what it was.
- Cultivate a life that makes you want to put your phone down.
- Create some boundaries for your family, ie. no phones in the bedrooms, or no devices after 9pm.
- Choose to nurture one of your friendships offline (snail mail anyone?).
- Start a hobby that doesn’t need any technology or social media (dance class, crocheting, pottery).
- Encourage your family to spend time outdoors without their phones.
This was such a hard piece to write and put together because it’s such a weighty topic. I’ll be exploring more over the next few weeks, starting with a more in-depth look at E-waste next week.
Until then, thanks for joining me xo
