I read a great article this week called Brainjunk and the killing of the internet mind. The article author Danny Crichton talks about the importance of filling our brains with healthy, fulfilling content. It's so easy to find ourselves scrolling, giving into the content junk that fuels that dopamine cycle. Addiction to social media is a real issue that plagues users of all ages. Crichton calls on us to treat our media consumption like we should treat our diet: lower quantity, higher quality.
This article really got me thinking about the importance of appropriate technology use. While reading about media and content I came across a quiz about smartphone compulsion. I opened the quiz with a lot of confidence because I don't feel like I'm a slave to my smartphone by any means. Sure, it's the first thing I reach for in the morning. A quick email check, social media scroll, and read a little news. And okay, it's usually the last thing I look at when I go to bed, when I set an alarm, check the weather, and turn on a podcast or audiobook to fall asleep to. And yes, I am rarely away from my phone and if I don't have it on my I feel slight anxiety. I should not have been so quick to dismiss my phone use because the quiz literally told me I needed professional intervention. I feel like that can't be right. It was a bit disturbing.
There are other schools of thought on technology, some of which I am much more comfortable with. Elon Musk has some awesome ideas about technology and brain-machine interfaces. The idea that we might someday in the near future actually be even more connected to our phones and other technology is really hard to wrap your head around. But technology is here to stay and I think instead of working for our tech tools, we need to make the work for us.
This article really got me thinking about the importance of appropriate technology use. While reading about media and content I came across a quiz about smartphone compulsion. I opened the quiz with a lot of confidence because I don't feel like I'm a slave to my smartphone by any means. Sure, it's the first thing I reach for in the morning. A quick email check, social media scroll, and read a little news. And okay, it's usually the last thing I look at when I go to bed, when I set an alarm, check the weather, and turn on a podcast or audiobook to fall asleep to. And yes, I am rarely away from my phone and if I don't have it on my I feel slight anxiety. I should not have been so quick to dismiss my phone use because the quiz literally told me I needed professional intervention. I feel like that can't be right. It was a bit disturbing.
There are other schools of thought on technology, some of which I am much more comfortable with. Elon Musk has some awesome ideas about technology and brain-machine interfaces. The idea that we might someday in the near future actually be even more connected to our phones and other technology is really hard to wrap your head around. But technology is here to stay and I think instead of working for our tech tools, we need to make the work for us.
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Illustration of BMIC system for prosthetic limbs from John Hopkins University. |
Excellent blog post! I see that you are really following some of the guidelines we put together as a class. I enjoy reading your post. One thing in your post that really stuck with me is finding the balance of use with technology. How much is too much? When does it become "Junk". I really think that this is the next big challenge our generation must face.
ReplyDeleteHey JD - thanks for your comment. I agree, it's something our generation will have to reconcile. Purposeful use of technology with intent is crucial to our health and well-being.
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