The Choice is Yours.

You've heard plenty about the issues, and you know what some of the consequences can be. But there's not much more I can tell you to convince you what you should or shouldn't do.

Ultimately, the amount of necessary technology in your life depends on one thing, and one thing only... You. It's your choice. It always has been and it always will be. 

I will leave you, dear readers, with one final piece of material to gnaw on as you depart. The follow is a slam poem I wrote about some of the issues we've discussed on this blog.

It's been a pleasure. Thank you for reading, and remember– there are some things in life that can't be captured on even the most expensive phone camera.


The World in Full HD
By: Erika Glass

These screens over our eyes make it harder to see
That the quality of life’s so much more than HD
Cyberworlds that we live in are more like good fiction
We forget that there’s more to the world than depiction 
But we tap on glass screens like they keep us from dying
Of boredom. Look, guys, I think you would be lying
If you said that you’d rather check updated scores 
Than go practice or play that same sport outdoors.
so what’s keeping you? No one nearby for some teams?
There are, but they seem pretty engrossed in their screens
Right there, that’s the problem. You click back on your phone
Cause no one can play any sports game alone
And this girl at the prom, she thought she looked nice
But apparently not- she got only five likes
And her friends, they got more in the tens and the twenties
It’s like they get the big bucks and she gets the pennies
It shouldn’t matter, right? But don’t act like it doesn’t
We all want to outshine that one roommate or cousin
With who has cooler friends or who’s eyes are the bluest
Or who’s sweet sixteen’s car’s most expensive or newest
It’s constant competition with people we know
Like our lives all revolve around some kind of show
Where we know our best angles to make us look hot
And forget most the lessons that our parents taught
These rectangles of wire and computer chips
We use as our “hey, you, don’t bother me” slips
“What filter should I use to alter this sweet
Pic of food that, Shh, Honestly, I didn’t eat
But it looks so good right?” And yeah, that’s all that matters
We’re falling in some twisted sequence of pattern
Where people rely on others’ approval 
“I look kind of fat there, I’m requesting removal”
Apple and Droid, the hottest, new vital organs
We use as distraction when the real world bores us 
Our memories will change, we might not even see
That instead of good talks by a fire or the sea
We’ll have only half been there- half checking our feeds
Lost somewhere between the sky’s blue and blue screens
It’s addiction, not so different than a drink or a powder 
Except it’s getting worse, it’s expanding its power
And unless people see that they’re losing their grip
On this full-colored world, we’ll continue to slip
Until comparing to others takes the place of creation
Until experience loses to documentation
And I’m starting to think we might never escape this
We might never stop- 
Wait, sorry. I’ve got to take this.

It's Not You, It's Your Galaxy SD

Uh oh. Some researchers (and ex-lovers) believe that texting can be extremely harmful for a relationship. As if they weren't already complicated enough, right?

According to an article written by Carolyn Gregoire for the Huffington Post titled "Too Much Texting Could Be Harming Your Relationship, Study Finds", the constant tapping of fingers "can be a major source of frustration and dissatisfaction within long-term, serious relationships". Sound ridiculous? It shouldn't.

Research conducted at Brigham Young University found heavy texting to be consistent with dissatisfaction in both men and women in relationships. 

The article goes on to explain that couples who used texting as the form of communication to have serious conversations or resolve fights did not feel they could accurately communicate their feelings and opinions, nor understand those of their partner. Texting can inhibit the level of emotional connection, because many times, text messages can be misunderstood or taken the wrong way. 

Being able to communicate with the click of a button also puts a lot more pressure on constantly communicating with your significant other, even when it might not be completely necessary. Nowadays, if you're not talking to your boyfriend or girlfriend every moment of the day, you wonder "why aren't I?", and this puts a lot of pressure on these constant communications. There's only so much anyone can talk about 24/7, and because you can't constantly be having riveting, meaningful conversation over texting, it can bring feelings of inadequacy or dissatisfaction between the two speakers. 

Of course, for long distance couples, texting is a great and necessary tool. It can be helpful in many ways– as long as it's used sparingly. Texting back and forth just cannot be looked at as something you have to do all the time. The article concludes by explaining that technology can also be helpful for relationships, and that "it's all about striking that perfect balance."



Gregoire, Carolyn. "Too Much Texting Could Be Harming Your Relationship, Study Finds." Huffington 
     Post 1 Nov. 2013: n. pag. Huffington Post. Web. 6 Dec. 2014. 
     <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/01/too-much-texting-could-be_n_4192051.html>.

Feeling Alone? There's an App for That

            If you haven’t seen it, you haven’t opened your eyes. A couple, young adult, enjoying riveting and meaningful conversation over lunch- maybe she’s having a turkey sandwich, and he some grilled chicken breast. Looks like a pleasant situation, am I right? But let’s turn down the volume on that conversation. In fact, let’s mute it completely. Let’s shift their gazes from each other to rectangular screens, and bathe both their faces in the glow of blue artificial light. They’re not looking up directions on how to chew their food, but by their hypnotized stares at their technological worlds, you might think so. This picture, regrettably, is often more realistic than the first. They continue in their trances until they finish their food, say goodbye, and part in opposite directions- eyes trained back to their mechanical ball-and-chains.

            Is there anything that evokes instant panic more than patting your jean pocket and not feeling the familiar square of your phone? I’m guessing, not much. And what do people even do when their phones die midday, and –gasp– they left their portable charger on the kitchen table? We’ve become rather attached to our technological appendages, so much so that one might even call it an addiction. When I say one, I mean me. And When I say I might, I mean I do.

            Our phones are our lives, in a lot of different ways. Which is fine, within reason. But when two people cannot have a conversation without one of them glancing downward or tapping on their keyboard, you start to wonder which thing controls the other. Do we really let bundles of memory chips and wires dictate how we interact with other people on a daily basis? Why, of course we do.

            The problem isn’t so much that we rely on our phones, but that we need them, not sometimes, but always. When a couple cannot discuss their days over lunch without thumbing through Instagram or liking a post, it says something about what we value as a society and culture. When close friends sit on their phones for two hours during a hangout instead of catching up, that’s when things get scary. It seems we forget what the true reality is- the breathing, blinking, three-dimensional human being in front of us instead of the snapshot of an acquaintance, mid laugh, at a party.

            As our generation grows up, our memories of events will be drastically different than those of people even a few years older. When we think of a gathering or event, we may not remember the vivid, raw details, because we spent half an hour trying to choose the right caption to describe it. Since when is a good time not valid unless it’s published and adorned with 50 likes? It’s all a competition, and nobody is going to win.

            I’m not pointing fingers. I’ve looked at my phone while I’m writing this. And you know what? I hate that I have. There is no quick fix for the technology addiction. Our cyber-lives have become a huge part of how we see ourselves and others, and there’s no going back from that. But I will say this: remember what actually matters.

            Watching a round, egg-yolk sun dip down into a pink and orange sky will always be more captivating than an image of that sunset, no matter how advanced and polished your editing talent. A good conversation with someone you care about- and someone who cares about you- is so much more important than catching up on the riveting adventures of your aunt’s hairdresser’s nephew’s trip to Cancun on Facebook. I’m thinking that can wait. Technology is not going anywhere, and that’s a good thing. It’s a great thing. As long as we remember that it will always be secondary to the high-definition, full color, real-time reality that surrounds us.

These are my opinions, but I'm interested to hear what you think. Is our society's tech addiction a dangerous problem, or simply the way things are nowadays? 

Leave your thoughts below!

How Texting and Technology Affects Attentio– Hey! I Got a Message!

Hey! Over here!

I've got your attention, but for how long? 

Perhaps one of the biggest worries in relation to the texting and social media obsession of our society is that these mediums operating with instantaneous retrieval of information could be hurting our ability to pay attention. Don't believe me? 

Think about this: You're sitting there, in class or in your room or at dinner or anywhere else. You're not particularly interested in what's going on around you. Your teacher's so boring that they could put an insomniac to sleep, and your roommate has been blubbering on about his or her new love interest for the past ten minutes. So, what do you do? Reach in the pocket, and there's your entertainment! The truth is, many of us rely on our phones to entertain us the moment we become bored or unstimulated by our surroundings. And since we have an option to pull out our electronic worlds at any given moment, we're likely to take advantage of this luxury... almost all the time.

It's awesome to be able to surf the internet at the tap of a finger, or check up on old friends with a few quick scrolls. But having all of this freedom at our fingertips might be hindering our ability to pay attention in the moment, or diminishing our patience. 

Texting, surfing, and all other kinds of technology activities should be enjoyed as they are available, but it's important to make sure we don't get too reliant on these devices to keep us occupied. Reality isn't instantaneous, and it's dangerous to get used to this kind of communication when it's so different from the real, face-to-face world we live in.

Distracted Texters Beware

ABC News. "Texting While Walking". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wl0JojWH1rQ

Wht'z da Prblm? Texting and Language

Im sure u can prob ndrstand wut im sayin, but is dis rly how u want ppl 2 strt tlkin? 

Its ridic, if u ask me.

A highly educated professional source has illustrated his opinions on the topic in the video below. 

Enjoi...

OMG, WATCH DIS

"Weird Al" Yankovic - Word Crimes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Gv0H-vPoDc

Take a Breather! Health Risks Related to Texting

Listen up, fellow techys...

Maybe your parents' bothersome warnings actually hold some truth– texting actually CAN be detrimental to your health, especially in the obsessive and constant way that many of us tend to do it. According to research done by the University of Cincinnati, the average young adult sends and receives over 1,700 text messages per user per month (UC Magazine). 

If you think about it, that's a lot of typing. Quickly pressing buttons on a tiny keyboard is an unusual movement when it's done almost constantly. Posture suffers from hunching over a phone, eyesight can be damaged from gazing constantly into a small screen, and our finger joints can even be harmed over a long period of time, says Kermit Davis, an associate professor of environmental health in the College of Medicine and an expert in ergonomics (the science of people-machine relationships). Worried that your constant texting habit might hurt your health?Below are some tips recommended by the university to help keep risks to a minimum. 

Reduce keystrokes. More keystrokes equals more strain on your hands, particularly the thumbs, so keep messages brief and use word-recognition tools when possible.

Take regular breaks. Doing any repetitive task for long periods of time without a break to let your body recover is a bad idea. 

Orient your hands into a neutral posture. The wrist should be relatively straight.  Avoid twisting your wrists into odd angles, which leads to chronic muscle inflammation and pain.

Choose a wider keyboard on your mobile device to give you more motion flexibility.

Use alternate fingers. Although it may seem awkward at first, Davis recommends alternating between fingers to give the thumbs a break.

Harper, Amanda. "Texting:Is it bad for your health?" UC Magazine: n. pag. Web. 6 Dec. 2014. 

     <http://magazine.uc.edu/issues/1210/texting.html>. 

Are YOU Talking to ME?

http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/news/2013/smartphones-keep-users-in-india-plugged-in.html

Here's the deal: WE are the ones who should be paying attention to the downfalls of reliance on technology. According to a survey by Nielson Informate Mobile Insights, 18-24 year olds make up almost half of mobile users. This means that, falling into this age group, we are the ones who will be 1) most reliant on technology for communication, and 2) most influenced by this medium.

This "most heavily influenced" age group, 18-24 year olds, is arguably the most important generation of our time. These people young adults will be the next work force, the next politicians, the next teachers, and the next parents. This group is also an important link because of where they are in the development of their minds, personalities, and views. As young adults, 18-24 year olds are old enough to have their own distinct thoughts, personalities, and habits, but they are also still susceptible to the influence of outside factors, as they are not fully set in their ways.

What's to worry about with the combination of these two factors? An age group crucial in society that holds much power and responsibility, but is also heavily influenced by their surroundings, is the same group most reliant on technology through the form of phones and mobile devices.

So, what's the big deal? So what if young people are developing alongside the sprouting of new technologies? Well, being engrossed in the world of iPhones and Androids can be truly detrimental to the way we communicate with one another.

Don't believe me?

Keep on reading.