Techno-Crazy
“The world is too much with us. Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers.”
William Wordsworth
I had a conversation with some friends recently in which one said, ‘I can waste the whole afternoon playing cards on my computer.’ The other said, ‘Oh, me too, have you seen the new Solitaire?’ I’ve heard numerous interviews in the last week about the devious tricks Facebook employs to keep us glued to our profile page while they collect information about us and about anyone that we post to or ‘like’. Facebook is prying into our personal lives to assess our interests in order to send targeted advertisements our way. One man actually sued to get all the information the site had gathered on him; all 2200 pages of it!
Today’s technology is wonderful; don’t get me wrong. I love posting this blog, emailing just about everybody I know and texting with my sons. I am not saying we should get rid of any of it. What I am wondering is whether we are allowing it to replace real relationships. When we can interact with literally millions of people on-line, why bother to nurture flesh and blood relationships. How much does technology simply ‘occupy’ us and interfere with real interaction and productivity.
I know I sound like the Chinese government, but I do think it is worth our consideration as to whether we spend too much of our precious time clicking away with our mouse or tapping a keyboard. One of the things I notice about myself is how lost I feel without my cell phone. I come very close to ‘panic mode’ when I realize I’ve left my phone at home, or don’t know where it is. I am so distracted by that little gong-sound that I will interrupt a conversation or leave a meeting in order to check incoming messages. When I really think about it, I realize how completely nutty this behavior is.
For the next few weeks, I will conduct a self-experiment in weaning myself off my addiction to technology. I will spend less time checking messages and more speaking directly to friends and loved ones. I will turn my cell phone off during human interactions and when I am working. I will allow myself privacy and uninterrupted access to…myself! I will write the blog as always, but then I will shut my laptop down until I have finished my work for the day. So…please, leave me a message…I’ll get back to you.
Hooked in Alabama
Jane
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