Before I start, I just want to let you know that no, the irony does not escape me that I'm a blogger, writing about how we need to put technology down to just live! Or as a teenager, someone who spends a lot of time texting and reading content on the Internet. However, I think we all could take a moment to think about how the Internet is not our life, and how there is something even more beautiful than perfectly captured Instagram photos that we can enjoy if we just step away from our screens.
The other I day I watched this video, and it really struck me. You should watch it, but if you don't, it's basically about how we get so caught up in technology that we refrain from really existing. In all honesty, when this video was playing on my computer I had to fight the urge to pause it to check Snapchats, texts, and a Facebook message I had coming in. Doesn't that really say it all? In such a digital world, there are so many temptations around. However, when it comes to the end of our lives, will we ever remember how many likes that Instagram photo of us at the beach got? Or will we remember how much fun it was, splashing around? Maybe (cringe) we'll only remember looking through our iPhone screen, as we tried to capture the perfect image to make everyone jealous of our day. #wishyouwerehere #rottnest #lastraysofsummer #bestdayever
For me, blogging is about creating enjoyable content that I can look back on, as well as reading other people's content. However, I can get caught up in the Instagramming/ Tweeting/ Facebooking of it all, seeing how many likes my photos get and how many people see my posts. While yeah, it's really exciting to know that I have nearly reached 1000 views, I should be focussing more on how I feel with what I'm putting up, and whether I'm happy with my little corner of the Internet. That's one of the main aspects of the video - don't focus on what everyone else thinks about what you're doing.
While I do understand the importance of technology, and I appreciate it so much (possibly too much), I think I need to step away from it all sometimes. Instead of a text conversation, I should initiate coffee; instead of sending someone a photograph of something fun I did, I should invite them along next time. If I sound like I'm preaching, I'm not trying to - I am probably more guilty than most of being attached to some sort of technology! Last night I made a decision to try not to use my phone too much and put it down before bed to read a book - in the last 24 hours I have managed to read 250 pages of a book, finishing it (aka not doing my uni essay but we'll ignore that for now).
Like the video points out, we only have a finite number of days that we live for. Nothing is worse than regret, and I can't imagine anything worse than getting to the end of my life and not having met people at parties (or, like in the video, walking down the street), because my nose was buried in a group message about something meaningless. Obviously everything I'm saying in this post is very exaggerated but I think it's still something important to think about and something I (obviously) have an opinion on.
What do you think about your use of technology?
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