Having just recently read an article about digital addiction in 2013, I thought it only appropriate to look at all the ways that social media and technology has helped this world. It is true that the digital evolution makes it easier and easier to step away from reality. Everything is becoming mobile. From making contactless card payments to buying your groceries, everything is just at your fingertips. I agree that there are too many people these days (including myself) that have a hard time putting their mobile away and paying attention to their surroundings. It is all too easy to forget what is around you and get lost in the online world. Rather than just enjoy your amazing meal at a restaurant with good company, you start thinking about how long it will take you to take a picture and post it on Facebook. However, I also feel that it is all about finding a balance, something that each individual person must do.
Whether or not people choose to acknowledge it, we owe so much to the digital world. Before the Internet became so big, before platforms such as Facebook were even thought of, before mobile phones existed, you had to wait days to receive a letter from your loved ones. Most friends you would lose contact with. News travelled a lot more slowly. It was also so much harder to reach a big audience, particularly for the small fish. For musicians, artists and generally just creatives, getting your work out to enough people was the biggest ordeal. You were lucky if an influential person noticed you. Now, you can grow a fan base by just sitting at home in your living room with your laptop.
Looking at more serious uses of social media, many charities have been able to reach large numbers of people with campaigns more easily than if the Internet didn’t exist. For example, the Breast Cancer Awareness Facebook page alone has 3.7 million likes. Not only that, many more people are now able to voice their opinions and take action for causes they believe in. Crucial information from the other end of the world is able to reach people in the matter of a few minutes. Yet, there are still so many people who are opposed to the course the world is on.
Recently, I was reading about someone who doesn’t own a mobile phone and is frightened that he might one day be forced to buy one. I can’t help but wonder, is this because he truly believes that it’s unnecessary, or is it because he’s trying to rebel for the sake of rebelling? A mobile phone is a basic, and although I can understand it may be difficult to get used to for a generation that had to grow up without technology, there are still numerous advantages that you can’t ignore. Having a phone means being able to call someone in the case of an emergency, or being able to get an urgent message to a family member in a matter of seconds. Carrying around a smartphone means a calculator, a calendar, a dictionary, a map, access to a world of books, and so much more, all in your pocket. You can’t help but agree that it sounds rather awesome.
There are indeed many that become obsessed with their phones/tablets/laptops, and can’t go a minute without texting or checking Facebook, but how you use technology is up to you. Instead of being fearful, let’s get comfortable with technology and use it in the ways that benefit us, because the digital wave isn’t going to be slowing down any time soon.
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