tech advice
b y S O P H I A D E M B L I N G
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America’s dependence on technology continues its upward trajectory in predictable fashion, but the social impact of this shifting paradigm is not yet fully understood. It is, however, evident that we, as a country, are becoming psychologically and interactively warped
around our connection to electronic devices. The rise of smart phones and social media has dramatically shifted the ways in which we connect with one another and with the world around us. And that’s not always a good thing. Separating ourselves from the web of instant communication, instant notification, and the constant buzzes and beeps of our phones is a difficult task, but allowing ourselves the time to think, self-reflect, and enjoy the material world — rather than the virtual world, is vitally important. Even days after being separated from one’s phone, the individual may experience phantom vibrations in their legs where his or her phone would normally rest. “Just the anticipation of it [the phone vibrating] may occupy some of your resources. That would suggest that we are connected to it in deeper ways than we completely understand,” says psychologist David Strayer, whose research at the University of Utah includes the effect nature has on our brains. “I think the empirical science is lagging behind what we need to know because technology is moving so fast.” CORD cut the
Unfortunately, we don’t know the extent to which this dependence affects our psychological health. But haven’t we all witnessed some of its negative impact in our own lives or in the lives of those around us? Families sit in silence, each huddled around their own device. Kids are no longer solving boredom with creativity, but rather with the distraction of a phone or tablet. Vacations are interrupted by constant contact with the job from which we are escaping. And there’s the point I’m really making — let your vacations from work be vacations from technological connectivity as well.
Separating ourselves from the constant buzzes and beeps of our phones is a difficult task.” “
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