The use of technology has completely taken the world by storm, whether that be for educational, work, or personal purposes. Admittedly, I am what you call a “chronically online” individual. I can truthfully state that I may or may not have a million tabs open on my laptop as I am writing this blog post. Spotify, Google Docs, WordPress, and a whole lot of random search engines for any spontaneous thought or question I may have.
Technology has progressed and advanced rapidly in recent years, and I wanted to take a little stroll down memory lane. I grew up watching reruns on reruns from various channels on my parents’ cable– Disney (Good Luck Charlie, Wizards of Waverly Place, Sonny with a Chance, Lemonade Mouth, Camp Rock, Hannah Montana, A.N.T. Farm, etc.), Nickelodeon (Drake and Josh, iCarly, Big Time Rush, Zoey 101, Winx Club, Invader Zim, Rugrats, etc.) or whatever my dad had playing in the living room when he got home from work in the evenings. Whether that be Family Feud, The Price is Right, or Jeopardy! on the Game Show Network.
My family bought the ‘brand new’ (at the time) Wii console in 2009. It was definitely a significant moment of my childhood. My little five year old self chose Mario, driving the automatic standard Kart in Nintendo’s 2008 MarioKart. The first track that I remember attempting was Sherbet Land, and I was so frustrated that I didn’t make it to the finish line in time, that I was determined to perfect every course and unlock everything possible on the game from that moment forward. 15 years later, I still haven’t managed to complete the game yet. Yes, my Wii console still works! (If anyone happens to have any pointers on how to unlock Bowser Jr. and Baby Luigi, please send them my way!)
I am an extremely competitive Just Dance player. I’ve managed to collect every game in the series, and am excited for the newest addition to come out soon this year! Just Dance is a great way to keep active while also having some fun listening to your favorite songs.
I am on my cell phone quite a bit throughout the day. Usually just to kill time, and then accidentally wasting the entire day away scrolling through the endless pit of Instagram reels. It’s kind of funny, actually, that I will spend hours watching reels on other platforms, but refuse to download TikTok. I just won’t do it. I don’t think I will, honestly. I think it stems from my middle school years, when Musical.ly was taking my sixth grade class by storm. My childhood friends would show me a new Musical.ly that they were so proud of making at home from the night before. I’m pretty sure that there might be a few readers that know exactly what I’m talking about. I just didn’t understand the point of the app. Why was Musical.ly so much better than other social media platforms in 2016? I can see why TikTok is so popular today– content has shifted so much to cater to any and all types of audiences or interests (dance trends, DIYs, makeup tutorials, gaming, content creators, etc.). The way I’m looking at it now: I didn’t hop on that train years ago, so I don’t think I will now– using my own discretion.
I regularly use my email, notes app, maps, and other online tools for work and school purposes. But I find it easier to get my school work done when my phone is out of sight (and mind); so most times you’d find me hunched over my laptop, typing at full speed to get an essay handed in by 11:59pm.
When it comes to “striking a balance” between screen time for academic purposes, setting reminders on my phone is very handy. I like to set reminders about a week or two before an assignment is due so I don’t need to rush within the last remaining hour. Admittedly I am a huge procrastinator, so setting reminders helps me break the bad habit and stay on top of things.
Lately I’ve been going ham on a new game I downloaded called Project Makeover. It’s sort of like Candy Crush— I can include a few screengrabs to give readers an idea. You need to complete levels like Candy Crush to earn coins to “make over” a character (they each have their own backstory) and interior design. I’m currently on level 456. Seems like a lot, huh? It’s what I do when I should be sleeping at 2am, haha.
All in all, technology plays a big part in our daily lives today, both for academics and personal use. Some good, some not-so-good, and the in between.