Perils of Technology
The Daily Beast ran an article today about web addiction and the perils of technlogy. This has been a topic on my mind a fair amount lately as I have been working on removing clutter from my days to focus more on things that are important to me. The article also cites Sherry Turkle’s recent work, which I have been very interested in.
While the article discusses the dangers of pervasive technology and addiction, I think it is only one side of the coin. On the other hand, I do think technology can be utilized as a tool to facilitate interesting, positive interactions. I also think it requires discipline and firm boundaries to remain useful and not tempt one into addiction.
I think when I first got into using “smartphones” with internet access it was quite addictive. Over time though, I think I have managed it to be just a tool (though, occasionally lapsing into overuse). I have turned off 3G internet on my phone and only enable it when on trips (I use a pay-as-you-go plan), and use WIFI at other times. I find that I can not compulsively check the internet as much and that is a good thing.
I also don’t engage with social networks too much now, averaging about once a day. I have made other changes as well, and I have been mostly happy with my relationship to the technology I use, though am continuing to actively be aware of and modifying my usage.
In the end, I think the article mentions very poignant issues for this period in history. I hope that this is just a phase in the development of our technological culture and am optimistic that people will become more aware of these kinds of dangers and hopefully not so wrapped up in it all.