My Relationship with Technology

 

    I believe that I have a relatively small online footprint and a pretty healthy relationship with technology in general. To an extent, you could say that my computer usage is unhealthy because I am constantly using it, even late into the night, which can impact my sleep, but I am only glued to my laptop out of necessity for my school work. I also use streaming services highly frequently, but the majority of my screen time that is used on those apps is because I let shows run in the background while I do work. Technology and social media, specifically can have positive and negative impacts on people, and while I do still experience some the negative effects, I believe I still do a good job at not letting it rule my life.

    When it comes to my social media use, I only have SnapChat and Instagram of the major platforms, both of which I rarely keep up with anymore. I also have Reddit, but I only use it when I'm looking for a specific thing like recommendations for shoe brands with arch support, and LinkedIn (but I don't know if that really counts). My relationship with these apps is mostly healthy because I hardly spend time on them anymore - I don't let my social medias distract me from my work or other daily activities.

    For this same reason, I never downloaded TikTok. As of February of last year, Americans spend 12% more time on TikTok than on the other popular social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. almost a third of their social media time on TikTok. I have friends and family members who have TikTok and I've seen how addictive and distracting it is. 

    Did you know that social media addiction is a real thing and not just something you joke that you're "addicted" to? Well it's true! Over 210 million people worldwide have a social media addiction. I was not surprised to learn that the top 3 most addictive social media platforms are TikTok, Youtube, and Facebook, in that order. I know that I have a tendency to fall victim to scrolling on the few occasions that I do spend on social media apps, and I'm already a terrible procrastinator so I don't need another distraction much less become addicted to TikTok.

    I say my relationship with social media is "mostly" healthy because I mainly use them for communication purposes, but I am a perfectionist and tend to obsess over little details when making my posts so they look exactly right. I am also not completely immune to the effect social media can have on a person's self-esteem, I catch myself comparing myself and my pictures to other people whom I view as always looking perfect. However, I still am fully aware of this and of the fact that Instagram and other social medias only show the "good" stuff, it's not necessarily an accurate representation of people or their lives. This fabricated version of people's realities that they put on social media can have negative impacts on the mental health of other people, causing issues with poor self-esteem, body image struggles, FOMO, depression, anxiety, etc.

    As for privacy, I never share personal information like my personal phone number, email, or address on my account for this purpose. To protect my privacy on my Instagram for example, my account is private so only people I approve can see what I post and I never ever make a post with a location attached to it if I'm still there. For example, if I am on vacation I will wait until I am back home before posting pictures. I also take measures to ensure I can control who can reach me on any of my communication platforms, whether that be text message, Instagram, or SnapChat. I even have an email account specifically set up for spam mail that I will use for whatever random website logins or online shopping accounts that I have to make.

    To sum up, my relationship with technology is centered mainly around practical functionality, and my relationship with social media specifically is overall healthy. I am careful to use social media in moderation, to protect my privacy and personal information, and to protect my mental health from the negative impacts social media can have on people. That is why my relationship with technology is healthy, but it could still be better. Perhaps after I graduate I won't be on my computer as much in favor of books, art, and other hobbies that I never have time for now.