relationship to technology
Lately I've been getting a lot of videos served to me about technology and it's effects on us. People going back to inconvenience. To analog. There are a ton of them, probably my favorite being Eddy Burback's video on how he ditched his phone for a month. Not only was the message there, and well done. God damn the editing was perfect.
I've just seen so many people all talking about this. I've seen so many different ways to solve it, everyones own take. It has started to make me question my own relationship with technology in a way.
I'm a tech lover through and through. Build my own PCs, love to tinker, love to push things, etcetc. So ditching it all together like some have been, or at least claiming they have been, just doesn't feel right to me. I still enjoy these things! I love my iPad and my computer. I love booting up YouTube and watching trash, I love using my server for Minecraft, Plex, and my own music streaming stuff. It's fun to me!
I think where I"m starting to think more is my use of these things. I think it's okay to love these things and to keep them with you, I think you just need to have a good enough hold on them to know when something is too much use. I think there are nuggets to be taken from all of these videos. Starting to use dedicated devices for things. I use my iPod Nano ALL the time now. I've got my DS Lite setup with some games I wanna play. Things like that. Instead of defaulting to my phone. Even this little change has been kinda nice for me. It's made me appreciate these devices more and the act of using them.
I hardly even touch social media anymore. While I have accounts out there, I just don't want to use them. Talking to bots and other horrible people just doesn't fit my idea of fun anymore. Social media has been a net negative for my life, and probably most of you out there. It is however, a very lonely existence. Loneliness is a constant problem for myself, and the lack of these social outlets hasn't helped.
This place is going to be the place for myself. As well as contact via email. Or my Discord server, which isn't exactly public at the moment. So I still exist, just not in most places.
It all makes this relationship with technology complex though. It's never as easy as some make it out to be. Just get rid of your phone, tablet, or computer! It's just not that easy. I think when it comes to these things you really need to think about it for yourself and really decide what it is you want out of it.
I think having inconveniences, having dedicated devices, going analog is all great. It's all things I'm trying to do more myself. Even just sitting with myself and enjoying silence.
Am I rambling? Yeah a little bit.. I'm never really the best with perfectly organizing my thoughts.. I'm much more of a word salad kinda gal. So that's probably what you're gonna get here, just a lil' heads up :).
My final takeaway: be more intentional, be mindful, let yourself be bored, embrace the inconvenience and just live. Online isn't everything, your phone isn't everything.
It's okay.