Technology and media have taken our planet by storm. It felt like just yesterday, my mom brought home the first iPod I had ever seen. And instantly, I was obsessed. So now the laptop was out, and the iPod was in. Does anyone remember the game Fruit Ninja? Or that ridiculous game where you had to cut the rope at the perfect opportunity so candy could drop into a frog’s mouth? Those apps were why my parents started stressing the problems around our screen time.
Nevertheless, those games were addicting. That was, for me, where it all started. And then came Instagram, Snapchat, Vine, TikTok, 14 new generations of phones, and now this artificial intelligence craziness is going on. Has anyone heard of or seen the movie The Creator? I haven’t seen it yet, but that concept is nuts.
Anyway, I will not get any more off track than I already have. I am very well aware of the issue that technology and media present amongst society, especially the younger generations. Or is it not an issue? Is it the answer to everything? That is a frequently recurring thought that I have.
Once I took a second to think of how many different platforms and applications I use daily, I couldn’t believe how much I needed/used my phone in a day. But here me out, some of this can be justified.
Communication! My mom needs to hear from me, of course
Apps that I use on a daily for communication are Messages, Snapchat, and Gmail. I understand that people can communicate with one another way too much these days, but it also works to our advantage. As long as my phone’s away at the supper table, I think I use my technology appropriately for communication.
School!
Now, when it comes to school, technology and media are my best friends. I wouldn’t be anywhere in school today if it weren’t for my laptop. Here, I use so many different sites and sources. Google, of course; I shouldn’t even have to explain that one. Along with Gmail, Google Drive, WordPress (I’m a blogger now;) Google Docs, slides, photos, etc. I don’t know what I would do without my calculator app either.
Photos: take photos of everything; it’s important
I am indeed the friend who takes pictures of everything. I like to capture all the moments I can. I think this came from my parents having very few pictures of us when we were young. But I know that I will never forget a memory.
Entertainment
Saying that I am a movie fan would be an understatement. But, with the blog’s title and the learning project, I am sure we are all well aware. I am a huge fan of Netflix, Disney +, and Prime Video. Who doesn’t love a good movie? I also don’t know if I could go a week, let alone a day, without my Spotify, Podcasts, and Audiobooks.
Exercise
I think I just used this subtitle to make myself feel better, because, no, I don’t exercise, at least not enough to use the word as a personal subtitle. But I track my steps daily on my watch through an app, so I had to throw it in here.
So, with that being said, I think I can use most of these sources to my advantage. But I cannot truthfully say that I don’t get carried away with some of these apps. For example, TikTok and Instagram: I have caught myself scrolling too often on these apps until I would delete them for a little while. But that’s only when I catch myself. It’s so easy to get sucked into the cycle of scrolling. However, without these apps, I would struggle to manage my courses, homework, schedules, etc. In conclusion, I believe that you determine whether or not the technology in your life is your friend or your enemy.