I know that I spend too much time on my phone or otherwise connected to technology, and I’m honestly not that worried about it right now. Why? Because I disconnect regularly, it’s not ruining my life just yet, and frankly, there are bigger fish to fry when it comes to self improvement in my life.
Yes, a lot of my technology usage is practical and necessary – being a full-time student who, until recently, worked a remote computer job means that I need technology to do things like make money and not flunk out of university. And sure, a lot of it is not necessary but still useful and enriching, like reading ebooks, learning to play music from YouTube videos, finding online recipes. Some of it is just for fun, but still has benefits. I do a lot of New York Times crossword puzzles! I play a knock-off Scrabble game with my mom and my aunt! I visit the Regina Cat Rescue Cat-a-Logue and look wistfully at cats my landlord won’t let me adopt! But also a decent amount of my technology usage is just for fun and not useful in any way – scrolling TikTok, watching reruns of the Golden Girls, Googling every health symptom and convincing myself I’m dying of some kind of rare disease.
Would my life be better if I did less of the fourth kind of tech usage? Probably. Would I sleep better if I didn’t take my phone to bed and listen to random podcasts and get sucked into Wikipedia binges? Definitely. But neither of those things is the biggest issue in my life right now. There are other things for me to focus on improving first before I tackle technology usage, and sometimes even mindless scrolling is the lesser evil of coping mechanisms for stress.
I’m also not too worried because I spend a lot of time NOT online as well. I regularly let my phone die for hours at a time (sorry Mom!), read a few hours every day, enjoy jigsaw puzzles, and love to kick my boyfriend’s butt at trivial pursuit. Most of my life is offline these days, and I’m grateful.
Technology usage is a tricky subject. Tech is so integral to everyday life at this point in history, but like anything, too much of a good thing can quickly turn into a bad thing. Bur right now, I’ll take my crossword puzzles and Wikipedia, even if it means sacrificing a better night’s sleep or a lower phone bill.
Hello! I can very much relate.. I work at a desk job with nothing but technology, then I go home for online classes, and class work. Sometimes I just want to veg out and watcha movie or scroll endlessly, but that would mean I was using technology ALL day.. I struggle with whether that’s ok or not? Either way, I enjoyed your response because I can I relate.
Emily, you are so right about tech being an integral part of everyday life. I totally support screen time if it means scrolling through adorable adoptable cat options!! And connecting with family is an important one, too.
I appreciate that you pointed out that you also spend time disconnected as well. I think I forget to acknowledge how much disconnect I offer myself and often times give my head a shake for feeling like I’ve spent too much time online. I still manage to get a lot of things done throughout my day that aren’t tied to screens so maybe I should offer myself a pat on the back instead! Haha
Btw, don’t google all of your health symptoms. I’m sure you’re not about to die of some rare disease!
Thanks for this post, I appreciate the perspective!
A lot of people so quickly jump to villainizing technology usage, but finding that healthy balance is so crucial, and it sounds like you’ve got it. Being on screens is vital for today’s work, education and entertainment. It’s nice to be reminded that it isn’t all bad!