Technology – Gift or Curse?

Technology is the greatest gift and curse. Without it, I would not be attending university right now, and I would not have started pursuing my bachelor’s degree if I had to move or drive to Regina regularly. Technology also comes with social apps, which can be time wasters and consumers. We now have all information at our fingertips—some of it incorrect, but still at our fingertips. It is much easier to look up the information you need on YouTube or Google instead of calling your grandma or dragging out the encyclopedias. 

I did a terrifying thing and looked at my daily screen use on my iPhone. I was sure I already knew what the data would tell me. My most used is Facebook by a long shot, followed by my web browser, messages and WhatsApp Messenger. I am terrible for using Facebook reels to zone out on life. When I wake up in the morning before everyone else is awake, I spend downtime watching reels; I also watch them before I fall asleep at night. It’s probably not great for my mental health, but sometimes it’s nice to scroll and not need to be doing something at all times.  

My kids and husband bought me a Kobo for Mother’s Day. Since I also love to read, I thought having a Kobo would help with reel scrolling. That way, I don’t need to become off task by scrolling reels instead of opening my book app. Instead of scrolling through social media apps, I aim to read on my Kobo before falling asleep. 

COVID opened the doors for many online platforms to make living at home in isolation possible. Since 2020, there have been many advancements in technology, such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and online classes. The push for online education opened a door I normally would not have pursued. Living two hours from the city with two young children did not seem possible to obtain my degree. Once more classes moved to being online, the opportunity was available. 

Being a full-time university student, employee, and mother of two very busy children has its challenges. However, this is not something I would ever change. I tried using a paper planner but found I always had to add information to my phone since my planner was never with me. I use my iPhone calendar so that way I can sync it to the computer as well. So far, this has worked well for me, and I have not missed appointments or deadlines. 

I constantly use programs such as Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Canva, Google Docs and Adobe Photoshop to meet my school work deadlines. When I went to school, the first go around (this ages me), Microsoft Word and PowerPoint did not have the option to have multiple people working on one document was not available. It’s incredible to think how far technological advancements have improved.

Wish me luck in curbing my evening scrolling with my Kobo.