I don’t know about you, but I continue to receive many catalogs in the mail – ones I’ve never subscribed to. However, as they say, curiosity kills the cat … so I admit, I do look at a few of them before they get trashed.
Recently, I received one that had a number of humorous tee-shirts for sale, and one in particular gave me some food for thought! It said, “Wi-Fi went down for five minutes, so I had to talk to my family. They seem like nice people!” WOW! Unlike some of the others, this one didn’t make me laugh. Sadly, I realized that those words actually spoke a lot of truth. It made me recall being in a restaurant with a friend some time ago, and as we looked around, we were the only ones talking to one another! Everyone else was on their phones, checking e-mails, answering texts, reading or searching the web. You would have thought they were sitting there alone, but they weren’t; they were accompanied by friends or family members at their tables, but they were all totally ignoring one another’s presence.
They are seated, give the waitress their drink orders, go back to their phones. Waitress appears again and they give their food order, and again divert their full attention to their phones. Meal arrives; they eat in silence, pay their bill, and head for the exit door. Otherwise, there was no verbal communication, which is rather sad, don’t you think?
This seems to be the way most people live nowadays. I’ll admit that cell phones and social media are powerful tools that allow us to connect and stay in touch with friends and family or share photos. They also allow us to instantly access the latest news or perhaps do some quick research on a topic. BUT, there are pros and cons to EVERYTHING, and while technology may have its benefits, when usage becomes a dependency, it has its drawbacks as well.
Further research has shown that some of the ‘cons’ to tech reliance can lead to mental health concerns like anxiety and depression and can create addictive patterns in our lives. It can also reduce our positive productivity, weaken social skills, and interfere with sleep quality. Don’t forget to consider the possibilities of cyberbullying, online harassment, threats, exposure to inappropriate content (especially for youth), privacy and security risks, to name just a few. Remember that what you read and see on social media is not always factual but a simple way to spread hurtful rumors and untruths that can leave scars on others.
Looking back to the year 2023, there was an estimated 4.5 BILLION social media users worldwide, with the average person spending at least 2.5 hours daily on social media. It has since become even more popular and will probably continue to do so. Use it wisely and consider the dark side before becoming addicted to this lifestyle. Let’s not over-rely on digital communication to the point that it replaces the ‘personal’ in our relationships!
Quote of the Week: “Wisdom accepts that all things have two sides. Moderation encourages self-control and balance in all areas of life.”
~ Carl Jung