Technological Quicksand

Technological overload is an issue I’ve become increasingly aware of in recent months, but how easy is it to resist? I tested this when my class gave me a week to complete the challenge of going without technology for 4 consecutive waking hours. I did not beat this challenge, but I did get some interesting information about how technology mediates my life.

I’ve always known that technology has become deeply ingrained in our school system, but I never learned how much until this week. My assignments are online, my textbooks are online, my notes are online (more on this one later), and even some of my classes are online. There was only one assignment that could have been completed without a laptop, and even then it required note-taking, something which I am not accustomed to doing on paper. It's not that I never learned handwriting, but once I was introduced to the simplicity of the keyboard, it took a back-burner and got sloppier and sloppier. This is apparently becoming a problem across the country. 

Each of my three jobs requires me to use a computer. My mock trial tournament required me to be on zoom for the majority of the weekend. I’m head moderator of a sizable discord server which requires periodic check-ins. I also maintain several computer programming projects for fun. Obviously they require a computer.

Let’s not forget the “tyranny” of notifications. I don’t have youtube or instagram on my phone, and discord is muted. These apps don’t pester me, but there’s still Snapchat, Gmail, Whatsapp. I’ll routinely go through my phone, checking which apps to delete, which ones to silence notifications on, I find it increasingly hard to wheedle down my hard drive. Many of these apps and notifications are important. Outlook is a very important method of keeping track of school related issues. Groupme has mock trial updates. Sling tells me when I need to go to work and helps me make money from extra shifts. Duolingo gives me pushes to keep me on my learning streak, something very important to me.

A large amount of my time is wasted on technology as well. Youtube, tv tropes, and fandom rabbit-holes abound. I’m good about not getting sucked into video games, but that’s mostly because the good ones aren’t made for my computer.

Could I have carved out 4 hours of tech-free time? In hindsight, most definitely. But in the moment, when there’s a million tasks on your mind and almost all of them require the computer to accomplish; it feels impossible.

One of the great things about vacations is that they give you the freedom from these technological responsibilities. I went days without opening my laptop over winter break, but once application and registration deadlines came up, it was difficult for me to return to the grind. In a technologically-driven world, there’s a fine line between taking a break and ignoring your responsibilities.